Book 7 - The Abyss
by GailDunn2
Summary: WARNING: ADULT THEMES AND SITUATIONS. Castiel and Gail's decision to align with Crowley has horrifying and violent consequences. Cas has changed, and so has his relationship with Gail and the Winchesters. Have his enemies succeeded in condemning him to Hell? Will Gail follow him there?


BOOK 7 - THE ABYSS

Chapter 1 - The Devil You Know

Bobby sent out the call to Castiel and Gail on Angel Radio that afternoon.

They'd gone straight to the master bedroom following their meeting with Crowley, and they were still there now. This was what Gail had wanted to do most of all. The bell could not be unrung, it seemed. Last night had been in the back of her mind all morning, and they didn't have to answer to anyone, did they?

Cas was kissing her stomach where the warding tattoo was, and his eyes were violet now. "Let's just stay here all day," he said, smiling.

"Sounds good to me," Gail said. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of what he was doing. They were eternal beings; there would be plenty of time to face their family members and friends later. They still had to talk about how they were going to handle the results of their decision. She frowned momentarily, thinking about the deception they would have to perpretrate. She'd once encouraged Cas to be more inclusive when it came to others, and now, not only were they going to conceal his status from everyone, they were going to out-and-out lie about it.

Cas saw her frown, and he stopped what he had been doing. "What's wrong, Gail?" he asked her.

She sighed, and opened her eyes. "Nothing," she replied. "Sorry."

"What do you need, Gail?" Cas asked softly.

She smiled. "More of this," she told him.

Cas smiled again now. Good. He'd been worried she was having second thoughts. He should be having them too, but all he could think of right now was how good he felt, and he wanted her to feel the same way. He knew what she needed.

Then the call came through and Cas let out a breath, annoyed. We're in the middle of something, he sent back. We'll be there in a little while.

This was God calling them to Heaven, and they were Angels. But Cas WAS in the middle of something, and Bobby would just have to wait.

"Half an hour?" he said to her.

Gail nodded. That would have to do. "Half an hour," she agreed.

Cas resumed what he'd been doing, and she closed her eyes again, smiling.

They were getting dressed, and Cas rubbed his chin. "Do you think I need a shave?" he asked Gail.

"No, leave it. I like a little stubble," she answered. Then she smiled. "I'll let you know when it gets to be too much."

He smiled back and buttoned his shirt, watching her dress. If it had been anybody but God who was calling them, he would have told them to make it another time.

Gail saw him looking, and said, "What?"

"Nothing," Cas said, still smiling.

"You missed one," she said, pointing to the buttons on his shirt.

He looked down at himself. "Where?"

"Allow me," Gail said. She walked around the bed to where he stood and did it for him.

He grabbed her and pulled her to him. "I knew. It was just an excuse to get you to come over here," he told her.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Since when do you need an excuse?" she said, smiling.

He started to kiss her, and his hands moved under her top, caressing her bare skin. She hadn't had the chance to do that shopping yet, and now Gail was thinking that maybe she wouldn't bother.

She pulled away reluctantly. "We'd better not start that again. We're likely late as it is."

She was right, Cas thought, but you couldn't blame a guy for trying. Strange; it seemed as if this was all he'd wanted to do since their harrowing ordeal in the cabin. He was surprised that humans ever got anything done. But he'd had years of making up to do, and Vegas had just been an appetizer. Now that he had a very willing partner, Cas intended to make up for all that lost time.

Castiel did wonder if it was the Demon in him that was making him behave this way. He and Gail were in love, it was true; so he felt that there was nothing wrong with what they did in private. Still, he had never been this aggressive with Gail before, and certainly not in this manner. But Gail didn't seem to mind, and it was no one else's business. Even Bobby had said so. And really, who were they hurting?

Bobby! Castiel thought of something. He frowned.

"What's the matter?" Gail asked, seeing his expression.

"Bobby is God," he said absently, still thinking.

Gail smiled. "There's a news flash."

Cas looked down at her. "He can read your thoughts."

She had been brushing some lint from his shirt, and her hand froze. Crap. She hadn't thought of that. This was going to be their first test, and it was a big one. It was one thing to be evasive with your friends, especially the human ones, but it was quite another to deceive God. But they did have to deceive Bobby, if they could. He couldn't know that his friend, the one who was basically his right-hand Angel, was now part Demon, courtesy of Crowley. Hadn't Cas recently read him the riot act about having had a relationship with Rowena in the past? Gail wondered if what they were hiding made them hypocrites. Probably. But she and Cas had deluded themselves into thinking that this situation was different, and she rationalized that Castiel was a good and righteous Angel, whereas Rowena had always been evil. Yes, Cas's personality had been slightly altered now, but she liked the change. He was more confident, more sure of himself now. And she certainly couldn't argue with the results of his transformation, and hers too, when it came to their intimacies in this room. Gail guessed she had a lot to make up for in that department, too.

But what were they going to do about Bobby? As God, he'd always been able to read her thoughts, and she'd never been able to stop herself from thinking things she shouldn't around him, nor around the original God either. What were they going to do about that?

She asked Cas this now.

"I'll have to modify your memory a little," he told her. Gail's brow furrowed, so he explained, "The two-finger system."

She smiled. That had been her term for the method he had used to persuade clerks to rent them motel rooms on their road trip to Vancouver. They'd never had any sort of valid ID, and so Cas had had to use his Angel powers on the humans to enable them to get the rental car, motel rooms, and even the apartment that they'd stayed in while they were in Vancouver.

But Gail had never been on the receiving end of one of those, at least not that she could recall, and the idea made her apprehensive.

"So what exactly will that do to me?" she asked him.

"Nothing much," he assured her gently. "You'll just forget about my...current situation. Long enough to make sure he doesn't pick up on it."

"And that's it?" Gail persisted. "It won't do anything else to me? Make me cluck like a chicken, or something?"

Cas smiled. "No. I promise." He lifted his hand to touch her forehead, but she caught his hand.

"Cas, what are we doing?"

He looked at her for a moment. He knew exactly what she was talking about. For a moment, he seemed confused. What WERE they doing? Were they really about to walk into God's office and lie right to his face? Castiel had seen Bobby looking at him back at the cabin with concern in his eyes. Bobby was going to ask him if everything was OK, and Cas was going to tell him that he was fine, status quo, business as usual. But WAS he fine? Truthfully, he felt fine; great, in fact. But could he really be contemplating purposely walking into Heaven with a slice of Demon inside of him, put there by the King of Hell, and look Bobby in the eyes and lie to him about it? Look at the way he had come down on Bobby for dating Rowena. What was wrong with him?

But the poison in Castiel's blood was working on him, corrupting his thought process. He WAS fine, he told himself. He liked himself better this way, and he could be a better champion for Heaven with the additional powers that he had now acquired. Not to mention a better friend to the Winchesters; with the enhanced abilities he had now, including the power of revival, he would be unstoppable. And if he had to indulge in a little deception along the way, Cas didn't see a problem with that. He was long used to being evasive with Sam and Dean. It was for the greater good, after all. And as for the training sessions with Crowley that he and Gail had discussed, though it was unusual, he had collaborated with his Brother from time to time in the past and he had always come out on top. Castiel wasn't concerned about Crowley trying to mess with him; he wouldn't dare, not with everything Cas could feel that was coursing through his veins right now. And Crowley definitely wouldn't dare to mess with Gail. He'd better not even try, or Cas would kill him.

So he explained all of this to Gail, hoping she would see things the same way he did. Castiel's argument was logical and persuasive, and Gail found herself nodding along. He had made some good points, and she was reassured by what he'd said about Crowley. They were using him for what he could provide in the way of information and training, but it wasn't as if they were friends, or even allies. They could use him for what he was offering freely, and when they were done, they would be done with him. In their naivete, it had never occurred to them that Crowley might be using them in return. And that he had the upper hand.

When Crowley had seen into the cabin, he had also seen into Metatron's mind. When Metatron had been helping Aurielle to mix the potion, he had surreptitiously added a few ingredients of his own. When Castiel had ingested some of the potion, he had drunk a peculiar concoction that included components of a love spell and the Seven Sins, just to name a couple of things, and an agent that would bond the qualities to him for the rest of his existence if the spell could not be reversed. As the spell had come from Rowena's recipe, only Rowena would have had the knowledge of how to remove it, and Rowena was dead.

Metatron had figured if he himself didn't make it out of the cabin alive, which was a very real possibility considering the Demon mojo he'd known that Crowley had infused into Castiel, that Castiel at least would be irrevocably changed. Metatron had enjoyed screwing with his Angel enemy in the past, and this would be the ultimate middle finger. From now on, Castiel would only get worse, and there would be nothing he could do about it. Not even Crowley could reverse it. And though Crowley had seen Metatron add the extra ingredients, the King had no idea what they had been.

Not that Crowley was going to share this little bit of information with the tragic couple, of course. They may think they were agents of Heaven, and at the moment they still were, but the more time that passed, the more dark Castiel was going to turn. Crowley could hardly wait to see what lay ahead. And whether Gail came along for the ride or reached her breaking point would remain to be seen.

Gail allowed Cas to touch her forehead, and when he removed his hand, she didn't feel any different.

"So that's it?" she asked him.

"Yes," he told her. "That's it. See, I told you it would be all right." He had temporarily removed the memory of their meeting with Crowley, and of his own less-than-100% Angel status, but he had left her recollections of everything they had done in this room, both last night and this morning. Those memories were sweet and precious to them both, and if Bobby tried to look into her mind, he would only see those, and he would quickly look away.

As for Castiel himself, he wasn't too worried about Bobby trying the same thing on him. He'd learned mind control techniques in the past, and with his enhanced powers, he felt he could effectively block anything Bobby tried to get from him.

"Let's go see what Bobby wants," Cas said. He took her hand and they went to Heaven.

What Bobby wanted most was to apologize to the two of them. He'd given them a bit of time to rest after their ordeal in the cabin, but he hadn't wanted to put it off too much longer. Even though the spell book had turned out to be the least of their problems, as it turned out, he felt like he owed them that much. And Bobby had wanted to make sure that Cas was OK. He'd been uneasy about him since witnessing Cas's behaviour at the cabin, and that curious encounter with Crowley. Bobby may be a down-to-Earth kind of God, but he was no fool, and he was worried for his friend.

Cas and Gail entered his office, hand in hand as usual, and they took their seats across from his desk.

"How are you?" Bobby said to them.

"Fine," Cas said mildly.

"Great," Gail said. Cas smiled, looking at her. "I amend my earlier statement," he said. "I'm great, too."

Oh. Well, in that case...Bobby opened his mouth, about to begin his apology, but Cas was frowning at him. "What did you call us here for, Bobby?"

A legitimate question, but Cas's tone took Bobby by surprise. He sounded pretty impatient to Bobby, and Bobby wasn't sure exactly why. Still, he supposed he would get to it, then.

"First off, I wanted to apologize to you both," he told them.

"What for, Bobby?" Gail asked, puzzled.

"For my part in what happened with Aurielle," Bobby said, frowning. "And the damned spell book, and...oh, hell, you were right, Cas. I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

Cas shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Bobby. Aurielle's dead now, and the spell book's in the bunker, and no harm done. I did get into a little trouble at home, though. But we straightened it out." He squeezed Gail's hand and they both smiled. Boy, did we ever, she thought.

Bobby looked at Gail. He had heard that, and as Cas had figured, Bobby didn't want to hear any more of that kind of stuff, so he shut Gail's frequency off for the moment. These two, he thought. Give me strength. Angels weren't supposed to be doing things like she had been thinking. Not that he cared particularly, but it was weird. Should he be concerned about this unusual behaviour? And Cas was looking completely unconcerned with Bobby's reference to the spell book. His Angel friend had been so pissed off at him about Rowena, and now, no reaction at all. Was he just that forgiving? Had Gail had a talk with him, maybe? But something just didn't sit right with Bobby. The Cas he was familiar with still wouldn't have just shrugged it off. Yet it seemed like Cas had nothing further to say on the subject. Bobby supposed he should be glad about that, but it was still weird.

"How are you, Cas?" Bobby asked, looking into his friend's eyes.

Cas's eyes flashed briefly, and for an instant, they looked almost purple. Then he blinked rapidly, and they were back to the usual blue. "You already asked me that," he said.

Bobby was uneasy now. Cas said he was fine, but he didn't seem fine. Gail said she was fine, but she was quiet, not smiling and teasing like she usually was.

"Have you been to the bunker?" he asked them. "How's your brother, Gail?"

She shrugged. "He's fine, I guess. Sam and Dean were taking him to get some weapons."

Again, that was it. No elaboration, and Gail didn't even smile when Bobby mentioned her brother.

"Was there anything else, Bobby?" Cas asked him. He was shifting in his chair, looking anxious to leave.

"What's the rush, Cas?" Bobby leaned back in his chair, staring at his friend.

Cas squeezed Gail's hand again, and she looked at him. She noticed his eyes were changing colour, and she was startled. As he had modified her memory, she had no idea why that would be. Bobby noticed it too, and even though Castiel was fighting to stay calm, he knew they'd both seen.

"What's with your eyes, Cas?" Bobby asked cautiously. "And what's going on between you and Crowley?"

"What do you mean?" Cas said.

"Back there in the cabin," Bobby said. "It looked like he had to remove quite a chunk of Demon out of you."

Cas made himself smile. "Yes. Apparently, when he brought me back to life, he put a bit too much of himself in me. Then he removed it."

"I heard him say he didn't take it all," Bobby said.

Castiel frowned. "Of course he did."

"Are you sure, Cas?" Bobby asked, fixing him with a penetrating stare.

"What are you talking about, Bobby?" Gail asked suddenly. He was thoroughly confusing her now. "Sure he did. We saw it ourselves."

Bobby was still staring at Cas, who was breathing deeply, in and out, trying to control his temper. He didn't know exactly why this discussion was making him angry; Bobby was a perceptive man, and Cas had known that he was going to ask. He would certainly be asking, if he were in Bobby's position. It was a reasonable question. So why was Cas feeling so unreasonable?

"Yes, I'm sure," he said impatiently. "Is that why you asked me here today, Bobby? To ask me if I'm a Demon?"

Gail laughed. This had to be a joke. Had Sam and Dean put Bobby up to this? Castiel had also removed her memory of that scene in the bunker this morning, partly due to its unpleasantness, but mostly due to the fact that, if Bobby heard her thinking about that, it would raise a whole lot more questions.

But Bobby wasn't laughing. "So what if I am? What would you tell me if I were?" He was deliberately trying to provoke Cas now, see what he would say. What he would do. And if his eyes would change into that strange colour again.

Cas stood abruptly, pulling Gail with him. "I'd tell you you're being ridiculous, and that we have better things to do than to sit here and listen to this," he said, and he winked them out of Bobby's office and back to the house.

Bobby sat there for a minute or two, stunned. What the hell was he supposed to make of that?

He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the cell phone he kept there. Sam and Dean's cell numbers were programmed into it, and he punched the button for Dean's.

When Dean answered, Bobby said, "It's me. There's something wrong with Cas."

The humans were back at the bunker now, and they were sitting around the table in the library area doing a weapons inventory. The four of them had visited a Hunter friend of the Winchesters who sold modified weapons to fellow Hunters, and all of them had picked up a few things from him. Larry had known the Winchesters for a number of years, so he let them have what they needed on credit, knowing they were good for it. And they were extremely good for it now, courtesy of Cas, and so was Frank. He promised he'd pay them back as soon as he had a chance to get to the bank. They had waved him off. No problem. It was amazing how casual you could be about money when you had plenty of it.

Once they'd gotten back to the bunker, Frank had started to feel bad about the fight he'd had with Cas and Gail this morning. How had things gotten so bad between them in such a short period of time? He'd missed his sister so much, and he'd been so happy to be reunited with her, and now she was so pissed off at him that practically all they'd done since he'd gotten back was fight. Frank had thought that Cas was a good guy when he'd come to rescue him out of Hell. Apparently, he'd been appointed God for the day. How much more good could you get? And he'd come to get Frank, when no other God had. Maybe he'd done it solely to suck up to Gail, but the fact was, he'd done it. Frank now had his life back, and he also had a lot of money at his disposal, and it was all due to Cas. When they'd all first sat around in the kitchen, going over the events of the past year, Cas had rubbed him the wrong way, but maybe that was just the way the guy talked. Sam and Dean had told Frank that Castiel was a bit left-of-centre sometimes, and the way he talked still aggravated them at times, too. Maybe Frank had been too sensitive. They'd certainly talked about a lot of sensitive subjects during that conversation, including the unfortunate fact that Frank had killed Castiel in Crowley's den. How would Frank feel if it had been the other way around? He knew that Angels were supposed to forgive, but the Winchesters had told him that Cas had a lot of human qualities; maybe Frank just had to give him a bit more time. Had he even really tried to get to know the guy before he'd jumped down his throat? Bobby, Dean and Sam had all told Frank that Castiel was a good Angel and a good man, and he'd been good to Gail. In fact, the brothers had told him that Cas was a fierce protector of Gail's, and Dean joked that she pretty much ruled the roost, as far as he and Sam could tell. Frank had seen for himself how much of a fighter Cas was when they had all banded together to fight the Demons that had been attacking them behind the bunker, and Frank had also seen Cas running over, frantically looking for Gail.

But then Metatron had kidnapped Cas and Gail, and the next time Frank had seen his sister and Cas in the cabin, things seemed to have changed dramatically. Once he'd thought about it for a while, Frank had to admit that he'd probably come down on Cas a bit hard about the carnage he'd seen in the cabin. Frank himself had left behind scenes just as gruesome in his career, and when it came right down to it, Gail was alive, wasn't she? But the easy conversation between Castiel and Crowley and the apparent removal of Demon at the King of Hell's hands had been a shock. And Crowley had plainly stated that he was leaving some Demon inside Cas, whatever the hell that had meant. Then there was Cas's aggressively demonstrative behaviour with Gail afterwards. And then this morning, with the blade. What had that been? OK, he hadn't actually pulled it on Frank, per se, or even made an overt threat, but it was still disturbing.

Frank had just about had himself convinced that Crowley had messed with Cas in some way; and after the incident this morning, Gail had advised that the two of them were going to seek out Crowley, presumably to undo the damage he had done to Gail's boyfriend. Dean seemed to be convinced that it was a done deal, and then everything would be back to normal. So Gail's brother had now talked himself into feeling guilty about the way he'd been behaving towards Cas, when Cas was probably an unwitting victim in all this. As Frank himself had been, and Gail too, apparently. When his sister and Cas showed up, Frank was going to apologize to Cas, and ask him for another chance.

But then Bobby called Dean from Heaven. Frank shook his head, bemused. Who knew you could even do that? What would those roaming fees be like? He reminded himself to share that with Gail when he saw her next. Frank would be apologizing to her too, and tell her he'd be happy to sit down to dinner with the two of them. Even if he'd be the only one eating.

Dean listened for a moment, his expression darkening. "Mind if I put you on speaker, Bobby? I think everyone should hear this."

Bobby recapped the strange conversation he'd just had with Cas and Gail to his human friends, and Sam and Dean looked at each other, startled. Hadn't those two said they were meeting with Crowley this morning to get him to fix Cas? Now, not only did this sound like that hadn't been done, it sounded to them like Crowley had made Cas worse. As the two that knew Castiel the best, the brothers knew that he would never act like that. The question was, what were they going to do about it?

"I'm calling Cas," Dean told Bobby. Bobby told them he'd be down in a few minutes to find out how the conversation had gone, and to figure out their next move.

Dean punched Cas's number into his phone, leaving it on speaker.

"What do you want, Dean?" Cas barked.

Another glance exchanged. Since when did Cas answer the phone like that when he knew it was Dean calling?

"I just talked to Bobby," Dean said. "What the hell's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Cas replied shortly. Then, strangely, he said, "I didn't say you should stop." Then they heard Gail laughing in the background.

Dean's brow furrowed. What? Then Cas made a certain noise, and Dean thought he had it figured out. He glanced quickly at Frank, who was frowning, and snatched the phone from the table, turning off the speaker function. Dean was alarmed now. What the hell was going on with those two?

Gail smiled up at Cas. It seemed as if Dean was always interrupting them at the most inopportune moments. And this had certainly been one.

"I didn't say you should stop," Cas said, smiling down at her, and she laughed. Hey, if Dean was going to keep interrupting them, he was going to have to take his chances. So she resumed what she'd been doing, and when Cas began to react, Gail was amused.

"We need to talk," Dean was saying to Cas. He was shocked to think that what he thought might be going on over there was actually going on while Cas still had him on the phone. Yeah, this was Crowley's doing, all right. It had Demon stink all over it.

"OK. But not right now." Cas's breath was starting to become ragged. "I'll call you back." He punched End Call and surrendered himself to what Gail was doing.

Dean looked at his phone, then set it down gingerly on the table as if it were crawling with germs. He felt like he needed a good shower now.

"What was that all about?" Frank said suspiciously.

Dean looked at him. The poor guy. He had come here from Hell, and he had walked right into a crapstorm. There was no way that Dean was going to tell him what he suspected had been going on, so he settled for saying, "Cas said he'd call me back."

"Did he say when?" Sam asked.

Dean frowned. "No."

Gail was making Cas crazy, or maybe it was the other way around. They knew they would have to deal with their friends, and sooner rather than later. Cas knew he hadn't handled the meeting with Bobby very well, and now Dean was upset with him, too. But every time he and Gail got into this room, it seemed like they left their minds outside the door.

She had been making him feel incredible, and he wanted to reciprocate. Dean could wait a few more minutes. Gail was kissing him on the mouth now, her body on top of his, and he rolled her over on her back. It was his turn to make her feel as fantastic as she had made him feel. He moved his tongue down her body, and soon she was crying out his name, over and over. Cas loved it when she did that.

A few minutes later, they were laying in each others' arms, spent for the moment. "I guess we should talk about what we're going to say to them," Cas said softly. His eyes were turning back to blue now, and he felt very calm at the moment, but Cas knew that wouldn't last. Dean was going to shout at him, he was sure, and Frank already hated him. Deceiving his friends was proving to be a lot harder than he'd thought it was going to be.

Gail sighed. "I don't know," she said. "All I know is there's got to be a way for us all to win here. I'm tired of fighting with Frank, and I'm sure you are, too."

Cas frowned. Yes, he was. But Frank was going to have to show him some cooperation. There was no way that he and Gail were going to go back to the way things were before, not when they could be here like this anytime they wanted to now. He had to convince Sam and Dean and Bobby that he was OK. That he was still the Castiel that they had grown to love and to rely on. And maybe Gail could talk to Frank. He was done trying.

When Cas and Gail got to the bunker, the men were all sitting around the library table waiting. Jody had said her goodbyes and had started the trip home, so it was just the men now.

Cas pulled Gail's usual chair out for her and took his usual seat, holding her hand. Dean was scrutinizing Cas. He didn't see anything different about his friend so far. Cas was looking at him calmly.

"How are you, Dean?" Cas asked, smiling. He looked at Frank. "Did they get you fixed up, Frank?"

Frank was wrestling with himself. Cas looked normal right now, pleasant even, and Gail was holding his hand and smiling. What the hell was going on? Who was this guy, Jekyll, or Hyde?

Frank looked at Bobby, and Bobby gave a slight nod. The men had decided to try to rile Cas up, try to make him as angry as possible so they could see just how bad the situation was.

"I could ask you the same thing," Frank said coldly.

Cas was genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean, Frank?"

"Wasn't Crowley supposed to fix YOU?" Frank asked him.

"But there's nothing wrong with me, Frank," Cas said mildly. He was determined to control his temper, and he really believed this was the truth, anyway.

"No?" Dean broke in angrily. "Then maybe you'd like to tell us what was going on when I called you."

"Do you really want Frank to hear about that?" Cas said, smirking. "Suffice it to say his sister was making me very happy."

They were supposed to be making Cas mad, but now Frank was the one who was angry. He got the inference, and he rose and walked around the table, hauling Cas to his feet.

"Look, I don't know what you're doing to Gail, but you'd better watch yourself," Frank said to him.

"It just so happens that she likes what I'm doing to her," Cas said quietly. His eyes were starting to turn now. "If you don't believe me, ask her. But be prepared for the answer."

Sam had been silent up to this point, but he'd seen Cas's eyes change, and he looked at Gail now. "What did Crowley do to him?" he asked her.

"We might as well tell them," Gail said to Cas, who was still facing off with Frank. "And both of you sit down, you're behaving like jackasses." She stood up and got between them when they didn't move, looking at her brother. "Go sit down," Gail ordered him.

Frank was fuming, but after one more glare at Cas, he did as she said.

Gail turned to make sure Frank was seated again, and then she looked at Cas. "We might as well tell them; they know anyway," she told him.

Castiel's eyes went back to blue, and he was glad she'd stepped in. He'd have gone for his blade if Frank had said one more word. What was happening to him? He'd thought he could handle it, but he'd just embarrassed Gail in front of her brother, and had thought about killing Frank when Frank had quite rightly confronted Cas about it.

He sat down and put his head in his hands.

"You tell them, Gail," Cas said in a subdued voice. "I'd better not speak any more. I'm so sorry I said what I said about you. I don't know what got into me."

Gail felt sorry for him now, and as she looked around the table at the expressions on the mens' faces, she felt ashamed. "I'll tell you what got into him," she told them. "Crowley. We screwed up, you guys. We screwed up big time."

They listened to her explanation with rising horror. It was worse than they'd imagined. Not only had Crowley left the Demon in Cas, as they'd suspected, but then Cas and Gail had actually convinced themselves that this was a good idea, and then the couple had lied to them about it.

"What the hell kind of Angels are you two?" Frank said, astonished.

Castiel raised his head. Frank's question had made him angry again, and his yes were full-on purple now. "Angels," he scoffed. "Maybe I don't want to be an Angel any more."

"You don't mean that, Cas," Bobby said. "That's just the Demon talking."

"Is it?" Cas raised his voice. "Heaven. Angels. Who needs it? I went up there and they put me to death. They separated me and Gail, condemned us for doing what we like to do. What we're entitled to do. Xavier schemed and lied to get rid of us. And don't even get me started on Jason, Aurielle and Metatron! So, yes, when I discovered there was some Demon in me in that cabin, I revelled in it. I was able to take care of our enemies and save our lives. You don't like the way I am now? Maybe I don't care. Gail does."

"That can't be true," Sam said disbelievingly.

Gail avoided his eyes, saying nothing.

"Tell them, Gail," Castiel said, turning towards her. "Tell them the truth. How what I have inside me now makes you feel. I'd rather be a devil who tells the truth than an Angel who lies."

Gail laughed shortly. Was he really going to ask her to do this? But she had bought into their rationalization of her own free will. At least Cas had the Demon poison inside of him as an excuse. Now she would have to pay the price for their transgression by humiliating herself in front of her brother and their friends.

She hung her head. "I like it," she said quietly.

Dean snorted in derision. "You like it," he echoed.

Cas took Gail's hand, and she thought of the time they had been at the tribunal and he had comforted her after what she'd said about him on the stand. No one in this room except for her and Cas knew what that had felt like, or understood what they had gone through together. His eyes may be purple now, but she thought that Castiel had made some very good points about Angels and about Heaven. They obviously had some residual feelings of anger and resentment towards both that they hadn't talked about or dealt with. Was that why they had been so eager to embrace the Demon in him?

"I'm ashamed to be your brother," Frank said with disgust. "And coming from me, that's saying something."

Dean and Sam smirked. They were good enough friends with Frank now to know that he wouldn't mind. But Castiel was not smiling.

"You want to mind the way you talk to her," he said to Frank in his quiet voice.

"She's my sister. I'll talk to her any way I want to," Frank said sharply. "At least you have an excuse. What's hers?"

Gail was nodding in agreement, but Cas said, "I am. I'm her excuse. This is all my fault."

Now Frank was actually liking Cas more than he was liking his own sister. "These guys told me you were all about protecting my sister. And they were right. I think I owe you an apology, Cas. You can't help what Crowley did to you. It's Gail who's the problem here." He stood up suddenly from his chair, looking down at his sister. "You're disgusting," he said to Gail.

Cas raised his hand and Frank went flying into the bookshelves. Gail grabbed his arm. "Cas, stop it!" she shouted. "He's right!"

Castiel shook her hand off, getting to his feet. "No, he's wrong, Gail. They're all wrong." He took his blade out of his jacket and advanced on Frank, then knelt down and put it to Frank's throat. "Apologize," he demanded.

"You'll have to kill me first," Frank retorted.

"Really? All right, then. If you insist," Cas said, then plunged the blade into Frank's chest, killing him instantly.

Cas took his hand away from Gail's forehead.

"What did you see?" he asked her softly.

Gail looked at him, wide-eyed. "What was that? What did you just do to me?"

They were standing in their bedroom, having just gotten dressed in preparation for their meeting with Bobby. They hadn't met with him yet, nor had they received that call from Dean. And they certainly hadn't gone to the bunker. Frank was still alive, and none of their friends were the least bit angry or suspicious.

Castiel grabbed her by the upper arms. "What did you see, Gail? I need to know."

So she told him, haltingly at first, but then it all came flooding out, and when she got to that last climactic scene, Gail was crying. "You killed Frank," she sobbed. "It all escalated so fast. I couldn't stop you."

Cas frowned. "You know I would never do that, Gail."

But did she? She'd just seen it, plain as day. "What the hell did you do to me, Cas? What was that?" she raised her voice. What was real? What wasn't? She didn't know any more.

"A vision," he said casually. "Your fondest wish, and your worst nightmare. Either may come to pass, or both." Incredibly, he smiled, and his eyes started to turn violet. "I know which one I'd pick."

Gail was confused. What had been the point of that?

"An experiment," Cas said lightly. As if she'd spoken aloud. "I wanted to see if you were on my side. If you would stay with me, or leave me and side with your brother."

She looked into his eyes, which were now bright purple. "Why would you ever think I would leave you, Cas?" she said, touching his face.

"I just have to make sure," he told her. "Can you promise you won't leave me, no matter what?"

Gail's mind flashed to the vision of Cas plunging his knife into Frank's chest. But hadn't she seen Frank do the same thing to Castiel in the past? And that hadn't been a vision; that had actually happened. And she had killed Frank because of it.

"Of course I promise," she said to him, smiling. "I love you. Why on earth would I ever leave you?"

"I'm sorry, but I lied to you just now," Cas said with a half-smile. "OK, well, I didn't exactly lie, I just haven't told you everything."

God, his eyes were beautiful. Gail was confused, but she was willing to wait for him to explain if she could just keep looking into those eyes.

"When I touched your forehead and sent you into the vision, I wasn't sure what you would say when you came out," Cas said slowly, "so I decided I needed a little insurance."

He took her hand and pulled up her sleeve. Gail looked down and saw that there was a pinprick mark in the crook of her arm. What?

"I needed to seal our bond. To make sure we were truly one," Cas was saying. "So I took out a couple of vials of my blood and injected you with it. Now we are the same, and we are bonded for eternity."

Gail looked up at him in amazement. She should have been horrified at what he was telling her he had done. The Demon in Cas had taken hold, and while she had been in the trance that he had induced, he had gently injected her with his diseased blood. There was still enough Angel in him to recognize that he was getting worse, and soon she would leave him. He couldn't allow that to happen. He needed her, and he knew she needed him. So they were truly in this together now. He couldn't let her and her conscience stand in his way, but he could never have hurt her, either. That was Castiel's rationale for what he had done to her, but he had hurt her, and badly. Now she was part Demon too, and Metatron's deadly cocktail was coursing through her veins now, also. A cocktail for which there was no known cure.

So instead of packing her bags, Gail put her arms around him. "I love you," she told him, and Cas smiled. He'd done the right thing. After they had their meetings with Bobby and their human friends, perpetrating their deception, he would set up the first training session with Crowley. They had a lot to accomplish, and now they could do it together.

Cas kissed her, and she opened her mouth to him immediately. He sent a message to Bobby on Angel Radio that there had been an unexpected delay, and they'd see him in another hour or so.

Gail broke the kiss. "Good idea," she said.

That was the first time she had ever been tuned in to his frequency, and Castiel's blood raced. Evidence of their new bond. Now it was time to consummate their new relationship.

She was already unbuttoning his shirt, and he pulled her top off over her head. They kissed again, and she murmured, "Touch me, Cas, please."

And he did. He knew what she needed.

"Oh, that's good," she breathed.

He smiled. "I can do better than that." He pushed her onto the bed and took off her pants. "I can do much better than that."

Soon she was saying his name, over and over again, and Cas was saying hers. "Do you love me?" he asked her. "Yes," she breathed. "And you'll never leave me?" he pressed. "Never," she replied. "Never." How could she? Look at the way he made her feel. They didn't need to be Angels, anyway; they had their own Heaven right here, and it was better than the other one. And she'd do anything to keep it. She'd do anything he asked.

Then Castiel removed his hand from Gail's forehead again. He had pushed rewind, and they were back to square one again.

He hadn't injected her with anything; he'd just given her the opportunity to see how things might go if she made that choice. There was still enough Angel left in him at that point to want her to be able to choose freely.

"What the hell, Cas?" she asked him, thoroughly confused now. "What's going on? Stop doing that and just tell me!"

Cas sighed. "There's something very wrong with me, Gail. I can feel it. I've tried to fight it, but I'm losing. I'm turning dark, and I don't want to drag you down with me. Not if you don't want to go." He gave her a strange smile. "And I really do want you to be free to choose. So I'll leave it up to you. If you want to pack your bags and leave me, I'll take you to the bunker myself, right now."

She was alarmed. He couldn't be serious. She didn't want to go anywhere. "It can't be that bad, Cas," she protested. "So you have a bit of Demon inside you. You're still you. You're still the man I fell in love with."

But he was shaking his head. "No, I'm not. At least, I won't be for much longer. You saw."

Yes, she'd seen. But she didn't believe; she didn't want to.

"And I like it. God help me, I like it," he told her.

"We can go to Crowley, get him to take it out," Gail told him.

Castiel was still shaking his head. "You're not getting it, Gail. I'm not going to do that. I don't want to do that."

"Maybe the decision shouldn't be up to you, then," Gail said. "Maybe Sam and Dean need to take you to him."

Cas's expression darkened. "I wouldn't advise that," he said quietly.

She was frustrated. "So you're telling me that I either have to leave you, or - "

He interrupted her. "Or accept me as I am now. Commit to our relationship. As you've seen, there are perks." He smiled. "Any time we want. Any way we want." He kissed her, and his hand began to stroke her as he'd done in the vision. "I love you, and I would never hurt you," he murmured in her ear. "I only want you to be happy. We could be very happy. What do you need, Gail?"

Him, of course; she needed him. She always had. Leaving him was unimaginable to her. And was it really so bad? The devil's voice was very pleasing, and he was very charming. Humans had been succumbing to temptation since Creation based on what they thought they needed at the time. Gail had loved Cas since the beginning, and he had loved her back. Now he was asking her to stay with him, and his argument was becoming very persuasive.

"I love you," Cas said again. "Will you stay with me? Please." His eyes were purple again, and he was smiling gently.

Gail tried to picture her life without him in it, and she couldn't do it. She'd lost her mind when he had been executed, and she reminded herself that she was an Angel now, with the potential to exist forever. Forever was a long time to be without the love of your life. She knew he would never hurt her, and she was in denial about him hurting anyone else they loved, no matter how dark he claimed to be. All he was offering her was his love, and all she had to give in return was her committment to him, something he had always had anyway.

"I choose you, Cas," Gail said softly. "I want to stay here with you."

He froze his motion. "Are you sure? I need you to be sure."

Cas had asked her the same thing in Las Vegas just before they had taken the last big step in their relationship, and Gail now used this memory to convince herself that he was still willing to put her needs in front of his own. That meant that he wasn't nearly as bad as he seemed to think he was. And if he lost his temper, she could get him to stand down. He always had, for her.

"Would you do anything for me?" Gail asked Cas, looking him in the eyes. Trying to elicit his promise that he would never hurt anyone if she asked him not to.

"Anything you want," he said, smiling. But he misled himself about the implications of her question. It was pretty open-ended after all, he told himself. He kissed her again, and his hand resumed its motion. She was finding it hard to think about anything else but what he was doing right now, but of course, that was why he was doing it. She was choosing him, and Cas wouldn't allow her to go back on her promise.

A few minutes later, Cas sat her down on the edge of the bed and injected a vial of his own blood into her arm, being gentle with the syringe. Once he was done, she looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head. "Only one. Just enough to ensure that we're on the same page. I don't want you to turn dark, Gail. I just want you to be with me when I do. Now we can be together for eternity, and on our terms. You can decide what those terms are. I'll leave it in your hands. If I go too far, you will stop me." She nodded.

It didn't occur to Gail until later that she had never asked exactly what he meant by that. She thought she knew. But she had no idea. None at all.

That was twice that Cas had told him to wait, and Bobby was starting to wonder what the hell was going on. Not that his Angel friends necessarily had to hop to it when he called, but it was highly unusual. The first time he'd called, Cas had sounded annoyed, saying they were in the middle of something. Bobby had no idea what, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know, especially after he'd seen the way those two had behaved in the cabin. But Cas had also said they'd be there in a little while, and Bobby had been sitting and waiting, but still, no Angels.

Then another message from Cas, saying that there had been an unexpected delay, and they would be about another hour or so. No explanation either time. Not that Bobby had a God complex or anything, but didn't he at least deserve a reason?

Bobby reached into his desk drawer and pulled out his cell phone, calling Dean.

"Do you have any idea what's going on with Cas?" he asked when Dean picked up.

Normally, Dean would have made a smart remark about saying hello first, but he knew what Bobby was talking about; though he didn't know how Bobby had found out. Had Cas confessed it to him, maybe?

"I know," Dean sighed. "He went way over the line. But I gave him hell, and then Gail talked him into doing the right thing. But how did you find out about it?"

Now Bobby was really confused. What was Dean talking about? "You've seen him?" he asked Dean.

Now it was Dean's turn to be confused. "Of course I've seen him. We're talking about the same thing here, aren't we? Him taking out his blade when Frank pissed him off?"

"What?" Bobby exclaimed, shocked. "No! I was talking about him putting me off twice this morning when I asked him and Gail to come here. What the hell are YOU talking about?"

Crap. Now Dean had done it. Bobby apparently didn't know what had happened this morning after all, but now Dean was going to have to tell him. So he gave Bobby a brief rundown, taking great pains to reassure him that their Angel friends had gone to see Crowley to get him to fix Cas.

Bobby took a deep breath and let it out. That must be what happened, then. The first time he had called Cas, he and Gail must have been in the bunker, and that was why Cas had sounded annoyed. Bobby didn't know exactly what was going on between Cas and Frank, but the fact that Crowley had left a bit of Demon inside Cas must have had something to do with it. That would certainly be a sensitive subject for Gail's brother, considering where he had been and what he had been doing for the past while. But without that slice of Demon inside him, it was unthinkable that Cas would pull a blade on a member of the family. Bobby felt sick to even think about that. Gail must have flipped out. She had obviously told Cas to march his Angel butt over to the crossroads and have Crowley take it all.

That must have been where Gail and Cas were when Bobby had called the second time. No wonder they couldn't come right away. Crowley could be a real pill sometimes, and they had probably had to use some persuasion to get him to finally do the right thing. Bobby couldn't help but smile when he pictured the scene. King of Hell or not, Crowley had better have capitulated if he knew what was good for him. Cas's temper was formidable, and Gail had a lot of spirit. Bobby was sure she wouldn't be above smacking Crowley in the face if he refused. He'd pay to see that, he really would.

So Bobby and Dean concluded their conversation, each promising to call the other once they heard from the couple. And a little while later, Laurel buzzed him to tell him that Castiel and Gail had arrived.

Their meeting started out very much like Gail had seen in her first vision.

"How are you both?" Bobby said to them.

Castiel pulled Gail's chair out for her, then reclaimed her hand as he sat down next to her.

"Fine." Cas said mildly.

"Great," Gail said. Cas smiled, looking at her. "I amend my earlier statement," he said. "I'm great, too." He squeezed Gail's hand. Good job.

Bobby had been about to go into his apology, but after his conversation with Dean, he needed to flip the script.

"I was just talking to Dean," he said, looking at Cas. "He told me there was a little bit of an - incident at the bunker this morning."

Cas took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. His first test. He hadn't meant for Bobby to find out about that, but he supposed it had been inevitable, as close as they all were. "Yes, I behaved terribly, Bobby," Cas said, arranging his features into a look of contrition. "That was when we knew we had to go and see Crowley, and get him to remove the rest of his foul essence from me." There. The pre-emptive strike. It was obvious that Bobby was going to go there next, so Cas had beaten him to it. Getting Bobby and the rest of them to believe him was paramount, and Cas needed to appear forthcoming and sincere.

"And did he?" Bobby asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Yes, but it took some convincing," Cas said, smiling. "Didn't it, Gail?" he prompted her. She had promised to stick by him; now he was asking her to prove her committment to him by participating in the deception. One look at those innocent, wide eyes of hers and Bobby would be convinced it was the truth.

Gail looked at Cas. Right. This was HER first test. But she had given Cas her promise, hadn't she? What had she expected? "Yeah," she said to Bobby. "Crowley was really pleased with himself, and he didn't want to take it out. But Cas convinced him in the end. That's what took us so long to get here." She smiled at Bobby, and he smiled back at her, relieved.

"Good," he said to both of them. "Good."

Cas looked lovingly at Gail. She had been a very capable partner of his in many senses of the word over the past year, and she was proving her worth once again. Bobby hadn't doubted her for a moment. If he had tried the same thing, Cas was sure that Bobby would have questioned him further, and Cas would have gotten angry.

Gail had also proven her worth before they had even gotten here. Using the acumen she had demonstrated while they'd been on the run from Heaven, what she had called "street smarts", Gail had suggested they make a quick stop on Earth first. They had gone to a drugstore and purchased coloured contact lenses for Cas, which he had blinked into his eyes. Now the only colour anyone would see when they looked into his eyes was his usual blue, no matter how angry he felt. Brilliant on her part. He would have to thank her properly when they got home. But he would take out the lenses first. When they were being intimate, he wanted her to see his true self.

Then Bobby made his apologies to both of them for the spell book, and with Gail's comforting presence beside him, Castiel was able to get through the conversation without getting angry. But he was careful not to be too casual in his forgiveness, either. Gail had told him that it was this attitude which had first aroused Bobby's suspicions. She had seen so in her vision. So Cas projected just the right amount of uptight Angel in his replies, but gave Bobby his forgiveness in the end. And though Cas was impatient to leave, he made himself sit patiently until Bobby said, "Well, I guess that's all I wanted to talk to you about for now. I imagine you're anxious to get back to the bunker and tell everyone the good news."

"Yeah, we are, and I've hardly spent any time with Frank," Gail said, smiling. "We've got a lot of lost time to make up for."

So she and Cas rose and said their goodbyes, and reappeared outside the bunker door a moment later.

"I wanted to make a quick stop at home first, but I didn't think we should risk it," Cas told her. "Bobby might call Dean, and it would look suspicious if we didn't come here next."

Gail nodded. He was right, of course. Still, she was disappointed that they couldn't have gone home for just a few minutes. She had Cas's blood circulating in her system now, after all. She was proud of the way he had held it together in Bobby's office, and the way Cas had looked at her back there had made her feel like going straight to their bedroom and getting him to remove those contact lenses. She'd always loved his blue eyes, but nowadays she felt there was a lot to be said about the colour purple, too.

"Then why are we out here?" she asked him.

"Don't you want a private moment first?" he said, smiling. "I know I do." He pulled her to him and kissed her, slipping his hands under her top. He was glad she hadn't gone shopping. If he saw any underwear in the bureau, he was going to burn it.

She began to reciprocate, caressing him through his pants. "I don't think you want to do that right now," Cas said in her ear. But he wasn't exactly moving away.

But that was the trouble; she did want to do that, and plenty more. She had been a willing and eager participant even before Cas had given her the injection, and now that they had the same blood, self-control was slowly going out the window.

"Do you want me to stop?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Cas smirked. "Of course not." So she continued, and after a moment, Cas undid his pants, allowing her easy access. Then he undid hers, and slipped them off. "I guess a few minutes' delay would be okay," he said, lifting her body up to meet him.

They had stood on this same spot watching the sun rise on two separate occasions. On one, they had emerged as humans, and on the other, he had come out as God while she'd been an Angel. How appropriate that the sun was now setting. Cas was sinking, and Gail was enabling him. The fact that they were doing this here, just steps away from her brother and their friends, was proof of that.

"Imagine if they knew," Cas was saying, and he licked her earlobe.

Gail laughed. "Frank would have a cow. But don't make me think about that right now. I'll be dealing with him in a minute."

"That's right. You're dealing with me right now," he breathed. Was she ever. She had her legs wrapped around him now, holding on for dear life. Which was good, because he was never going to let her go.

"Remember your promise," Cas said softly. Then she was saying his name, telling him she loved him, and he smiled. She remembered. Dealing with the humans would be easy, because they'd be dealing with them together.

Sam and Dean, Frank and Jody were all sitting down to an early dinner when Castiel and Gail walked into the bunker, hand in hand, smiling at their friends.

"Sorry we're so late," Cas said.

Dean waved off his apology. "It's OK, we talked to Bobby," he said. "So Crowley needed a bit of convincing, huh?" Sam said, grinning. "Please tell me that convincing involved a blade."

Cas smiled, but he made sure it was a gentle smile. "Let's just say he came around to our way of thinking," he told them. He walked straight up to Frank and extended his hand. "I'm so very sorry, Frank. Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me? That wasn't me, I assure you."

Frank stood and looked at Cas's face, then at Gail standing behind him. Her eyes were bright and shining, and she looked so hopeful. Bobby had told them that he was convinced that Cas was back to normal, and that was good enough for Frank. Bobby was God, and he had known Cas a long time. Of course, Bobby was no fool, either; he had also looked into Cas's thoughts when they'd had their visit, and he'd seen nothing there to alarm him. It seemed that Castiel had finally learned to discipline his mind after all those years. Gail's support in his deception had given him the confidence he'd needed to pull it off, and the motivation to keep the secret was even stronger now because they were both sharing it. And as Cas had foreseen, the instant Bobby had tentatively looked into Gail's mind, he'd seen that she was thinking about her and Cas's recent intimacies, and Bobby had shut it down, fast. He sure as hell didn't want to think about them doing that. But he supposed they were entitled; they were adults, and they were over 21. And if Angels were supposed to be unable to do what the two of them were apparently doing? Who knew? Maybe that was some more of that "Originals" stuff that God had never bothered to tell Bobby about. He'd reminded himself that he wanted to find out more about that too, but that conversation could wait until Cas had made it up to their friends, and especially to Frank.

So here Cas was, holding out the olive branch to Frank, and so Frank shook his hand. "Yeah, I forgive you, Cas," he said. "I know that wasn't you. Let's just start over again, OK?"

"I'd like that," Cas told him. Would he? A part of him really would, still. Things would be so much easier for everyone if he and Frank could get along. He really didn't want to lose it with Frank any more; next time, he couldn't guarantee his blade would remain on the table. And he was now sure Gail would take his side against her brother, but there was no upside to putting her in that awkward position. What Cas needed was an outlet for his anger and aggression, and while he had found a very sweet and satisfying way to release some of that aggression with Gail now, he still needed a way to get out his anger.

Cas stayed calm as he and Gail sat down at the table, watching their friends eat.

"Smells good," Gail said wistfully.

"Have some, then," Dean said, helping himself to seconds. "It is good. Jody made it; she's a way better cook than Sammy."

Sam pretended to glare at him. "Hey, if you don't like my cooking, feel free to take over."

"Not on your life," Dean said cheerfully. "We're so rich now, it's take-out every night."

That reminded Frank of something else he'd wanted to address. He lifted his beer bottle and looked at Cas. "I don't think I ever thanked you properly for that, Cas. So, thanks a lot." He toasted Cas, smiling.

Cas smiled back. "That's all right, Frank. Your sister's already thanked me for it, several times."

Gail squeezed his hand in warning. That was exactly the sort of thing he should avoid saying around Frank. Hadn't they had a problem when Frank had gotten uptight about the thought of Cas and his sister doing, well, what they had been doing nearly non-stop lately?

Silence. Frank's hand had frozen with his fork halfway to his mouth, and Cas hastened to add, "I didn't mean to suggest...I'm sorry, Frank. I only meant that she was happy that I - we - were able to help you like that. That's all. I assure you." There. Lucky Gail had given him the signal. He had meant it exactly the way it had come out; in fact, he'd been thinking of other ways she could thank him tonight, after they were done here. But he had to be more careful. He and Gail had them all fooled now, and they were just starting to mend fences.

After a moment, everyone went back to what they had been doing, and Gail was helping Sam clear the dishes when Cas got the call from Ethan on Angel Radio. Jason wanted to talk to Castiel, and what Jason had to say, Ethan thought Cas had better hear. Could he come right away? And maybe he'd better come alone.

Cas smiled to himself. Interesting. While he couldn't imagine what Jason would have to say to him that he would give a damn about, he had been needing an outlet for his anger, and this could fit the bill perfectly.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he said to Gail, taking her arm and gently steering her towards the hallway. "Please excuse us, everyone."

When they were far enough away from the kitchen, Castiel told her about the call from Ethan.

Gail frowned. "I don't like this, Cas. What could he have to say that we would possibly want to hear?"

"I don't know, Gail," he replied. "But I'm going alone. I don't want you anywhere around him."

She eyed him calmly. "He's in prison, Cas. He can't do anything to me there. Why do you really want to go alone?"

He opened his jacket to show her his Angel blade. "I need to blow off a little steam, Gail," he said quietly. If she wanted the truth, he'd tell her the truth. He'd told her what he was becoming, hadn't he?

She looked up at him. Honestly, she wasn't particularly surprised. And she couldn't think of a much more deserving individual than Jason.

So Gail kissed him and sent him on his way. Then she went back into the kitchen and joined their friends, giving her brother a kiss on the forehead before she walked over to Sam and grabbed a dishtowel. Better Jason than anyone in this room, she thought. It was her job to keep them safe now. She'd signed the contract when she'd rolled up her sleeve for Cas.

Chapter 2 - Into The Purple

Cas appeared in Heaven just outside the prison walls, then he walked into the administration area and greeted Ethan, who was sitting at the front desk.

Ethan jumped to his feet and came around the desk, putting out his hand for Cas to shake. "How are you?" he asked Cas, smiling. "How's Gail?"

"We're fine, Ethan." Cas shook his hand.

Ethan frowned. "I couldn't believe it when I heard. You two went through so much here, and then to have to go through that on top of it...Well, thank God you're both all right."

"Yes," Cas said, smiling. "Thank God, indeed." Yeah, right. More like, thank Crowley.

They stood in silence for a moment, then Cas remembered: "Oh, and I'm going to talk to Bobby about your promotion. It's on my list of things to do."

Ethan waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I know you've got a lot going on. Whenever you have the time, that'd be great."

Cas actually had forgotten all about it, but he made a mental note to do it sooner rather than later. But not because he was feeling especially altruistic now. He was thinking it would probably be a good idea to get Ethan out of here; if Cas needed to pop in and see Jason every once in a while, Cas didn't know if he could count on Ethan not to intervene, or to keep his mouth shut. Just because Cas had gotten lucky when Ethan had helped him to dispose of Lanister's body, after Cas had killed the former board member, didn't mean he could rely on Ethan to back him again. Ethan was a nice young Angel and he had ethics, and soon he and Cas wouldn't even be speaking the same language. Better if Ethan were not here. There were plenty of other guards who would be only too happy to look the other way when Cas visited, or who could be bribed to do so.

But for now, Cas followed Ethan to Jason's jail cell. "He's been asking for you," Ethan told Cas on the way. "He says there's something very important you need to know about what happened at the cabin."

Despite himself, Castiel's interest was piqued by this. Maybe he'd have to hear what Jason had to say before starting in on him.

Ethan opened Jason's cell door as Cas stood out in the hallway, looking at Jason. Well, wasn't this a sweet moment. A short while ago, their roles had been reversed, and Jason had had the upper hand. Or so he'd thought, until he'd been so stupid as to toss Cas that blade. Then he'd thought he had Cas again in the cabin, but Cas had beaten him again. Jason was pathetic, and he was weak. Cas should almost return the favour and arm Jason, just to provide a momentary challenge.

But Ethan was here, and the young guard wouldn't understand. As it was, Cas needed to figure out a way to get rid of Ethan and have his private session with Jason.

"Hello, Jason." Cas strode into the cell, smiling.

Jason remained seated on the bunk. "Castiel."

"Ethan tells me there's something you want to say to me," Cas said. He put one foot up on the bunk, affecting a casual pose, and looked down at Jason. Cas undid the button on his blazer and let it hang open, making sure that Jason could see the blade. Hopefully, Jason would remember the pain he'd experienced the last time he had seen it and had felt it cutting into him. Maybe Jason would lunge for it, making things a lot easier.

But Jason just sat there, like the coward he was. He had no blade and no female Angel to bully now, did he? Cas still owed him for that, and if Jason thought he had forgotten, Jason didn't know him at all.

"I might know something that would interest you," Jason said slowly, "but I would want something in return."

Cas threw back his head and laughed. "Good one, Jason."

"I'm not joking," Jason retorted. He'd known Castiel was going to come in here like this. The shoe was on the other foot now, and he'd known his foe would enjoy the role reversal. But Jason did know something he thought could be very important to Castiel, and he was serious about making a deal.

"What makes you think you're in any position to negotiate?" Cas said to Jason, still smiling.

"I might know something about...you," Jason said cautiously, looking at Ethan. While he'd love to broadcast what he now suspected about Castiel all around Heaven, Jason highly doubted that there were many Angels who would believe him now. Castiel was God's buddy, and he had somehow come out of the other side of the tribunal smelling like a rose. By now, everyone in Heaven had heard about what had happened at the cabin, or at least had heard a bastardized version of the events, and Castiel was the hero of the hour who had saved Heaven from the evil Angels, and who had finally vanquished Metatron. And Jason was no longer the head of Law Enforcement and Xavier's right-hand man, he was the evil bastard who had tortured the Angel Gail, before Castiel had valiantly rescued her. They should just avoid the Christmas rush and canonize the both of them right now, Jason thought sardonically. If only those Angels knew who and what Castiel really was.

Cas looked at Jason speculatively. What did he think he knew? Then Cas remembered, and his blood ran cold. Jason had been the only other living witness to that whole scene in the cabin. But, wait: Even though Jason had borne witness to that incident with Crowley, so had Bobby and his friends, and they now believed that Crowley had sucked the last bit of Demon out of Cas. So, so what? What Jason had seen couldn't hurt him. And yes, Cas had tortured Jason cruelly before anyone else had gotten there, but he had gotten away with that, too.

But there was just something about the way Jason was looking at him that was starting to make Cas uneasy. He had better find out what, if anything, Jason wasn't saying in front of Ethan. And he had a way of doing that.

"Take him to the interrogation room, Ethan," Cas snapped. "Please," he added, softening the request.

Ethan approached Jason. "You heard him," he said to Jason. He put the cuffs on Jason once the prisoner stood, and Ethan and Cas walked Jason down the hall and to a small soundproofed room. Once inside, Cas said to Ethan, "You can go. I'll take it from here."

Ethan looked at him uncertainly. He remembered that the last time he'd left Castiel alone with a prisoner, he'd come back to find a dead prisoner with a blade planted next to his body. Ethan had helped Cas dispose of Lanister's body then, and he had forgiven Cas when he'd come clean about planting the blade. Cas had been through so much during the tribunal, and he and Gail had been so kind to Ethan afterwards. And Lanister had been the worst sort of Angel, and he had threatened to have Jason torture and kill Gail. So Cas had temporarily lost it when Lanister wouldn't back down, and Ethan had understood.

But now Cas was asking to be left alone with Jason, and he was the guy who had actually carried out the torture of poor Gail. And they were in a soundproofed room. What exactly did Ethan think was going to happen? That the two Angels would hug it out?

Ethan shook his head. "I don't think I can do that, Cas."

Cas sighed. He'd figured as much. "Wrong answer," he said, and he put his hand on Ethan's forehead. Ethan dropped to the floor, and Cas dragged him into the room with him and rolled him into the corner.

Jason's eyes widened. What the hell?

Cas smiled at the look on Jason's face as he closed and locked the door to the room. "Relax. He'll be all right. He's not dead; just dead to the world. He won't wake up until I awaken him."

"But this place is crawling with sigils," Jason said to him.

"Oh, those don't work on me any more," Cas said airily. "I've transcended that little obstacle."

"How can that be?" Jason asked. "You're an Angel, aren't you?"

Castiel smiled coldly. "Not exactly."

Jason's blood ran cold. He'd known that something was going on with Castiel, and this was the confirmation. The trouble was, Jason didn't know exactly what he knew. But he'd thought the bit of information he did have might be enough to bargain with.

"So what were you trying to say to me back there?" Cas asked Jason.

"I meant what I said," Jason insisted. "I'll tell you what I know, but I want something in return."

Cas had his blade out now, and he was looking at it, savouring the anticipation. "How about if you just tell me what it is, and you get nothing in return?" he said lightly.

Jason was scared now. He knew he was in a very bad situation here. The room was soundproofed, Jason was cuffed to the chair, and Castiel was angry. Jason had screwed with him once too often, and whatever Castiel was now, he was obviously not an Angel. He had the same purple eyes now as he had had in the cabin.

Cas had slipped the contacts out and put them in his pocket. He wanted Jason to see him as he really was now, and to be afraid.

"I'll only ask you once more before I get to work," Castiel said quietly. "What is it that you think you know?"

"I don't know, exactly," Jason said, frowning.

Cas was really angry now. What kind of nonsense was this idiot spouting? Either he knew something, or he didn't. He slashed Jason with the blade once, twice, several times. Who was counting, really? "Does that clarify things for you?" he asked Jason.

"Not really," Jason said defiantly. "Why should I tell you anything for free? You're just going to torture me anyway."

"Well, it seems you do know something after all," Cas said, smiling. He slashed Jason a dozen more times, then stabbed him in both legs. Then Cas leaned down and looked Jason in the eye. "Just for fun," he said happily, "exactly what was it that you wanted?"

Jason was gritting his teeth in pain, but he still thought he could negotiate. "I want to be transferred to Purgatory," he told Castiel.

Interesting, Cas thought. But not that surprising, really. He knew Jason very well. Even though Purgatory was a horrible place, where a wide assortment of monsters existed just to attack and try to kill you all day long, it would be a veritable playground for someone like Jason. He was probably bored sitting here in jail, rotting away, and he also knew that Castiel and Dean had once escaped from there. To Jason, Purgatory would seem like a very appealing option.

"How about I just send you to Hell instead?" Cas snarled, putting his blade to Jason's throat.

"All right, all right!" Jason exclaimed. "I'll tell you this much. Metatron said something to me at the cabin. Something about what he was going to do to you."

Cas removed the blade from Jason's throat, straightening up. "Really?" he said, smiling again. "Well, you saw how that turned out for him, didn't you? What else did he say?"

Jason shifted uncomfortably. His wounds stung, and his legs hurt like a son of a bitch.

"Don't make me ask you again," Cas said in his quiet voice.

"He said something about 'buying insurance'," Jason said quickly. "He said if he didn't make it out of there alive, he wanted to make sure he paid you back for having been such a pain in his ass all these years. His words, not mine," Jason added, when Cas raised the blade again. "And he said what he had planned would last for all eternity."

Cas was puzzled. Damn Metatron and his cryptic statements. But what could you expect from someone who had basically been God's lapdog for all those years? His Father was the master of the cryptic statement, after all.

He sighed. "And did he by any chance explain what he meant by that?" He raised the blade again.

"No!" Jason exclaimed. "No, he didn't. That's all he said."

Of course. Of course it was. "Is that it?" Cas asked Jason scornfully. "That was your big piece of information? It's hardly enough to buy you a ticket out of here. I do believe you're slipping, Jason. Or you're holding something back."

Cas gripped the blade tighter and brought it down, stabbing and slashing Jason in a frenzy now. Jason screamed in agony. "That's all I know, Castiel! I swear it!" he cried.

Cas stopped for a moment, breathing heavily. "Then what good are you to me?" he said to Jason.

"Kill me, then," Jason spat out defiantly.

Castiel considered this. "I could, you know. Then, when you arrived in Hell, I could just call Crowley and have him send you back to me, and we could start this all over again. And again, and again." He smiled at the thought, and it was a dark and ugly smile.

Jason stared at Castiel, astonished. What the hell was this guy now? Jason wished he did know what Metatron had meant by what he'd said, but Jason had been telling the truth on that score. All he knew was that Castiel was much more than just part Demon now. He was worse, much worse. If Metatron had somehow managed to screw with Castiel before Castiel had stabbed the Scribe to death, whatever he'd done must have exacerbated Castiel's little Demon issue and turned him into a full-on monster. And whatever it had been, Metatron had said that it would last for eternity.

Despite himself, Jason smiled then. He and Castiel were both prisoners now, weren't they? Of course, Castiel was the one who was holding the blade, but the damage being done to Jason's enemy was clearly coming from within himself. Any Angel could lay hands on Jason and heal him, good as new, but Castiel was just going to get worse and worse.

"Do you find something funny?" Castiel snarled. What the hell did this guy have to smile about? Which of them was holding the knife, and which of them was bleeding all over himself?

Jason looked Castiel in the eye. "So, how long do you think it will be before you're doing this to her?"

A chill ran through Castiel. "What?" he breathed.

"You heard me," Jason retorted.

Cas was beyond angry now. How dare Jason even suggest such a thing?

"I see what you are," Jason continued. "You are way worse now than I ever dreamed of being, and you're getting worse every day, aren't you? How long before Gail stands up to you, and you have a choice to make? How easy would it be to just take out your blade and finally shut her up, once and for all?"

Castiel slashed Jason again and again, making sure to cut his face so he would shut his stupid mouth. "You have me confused with you!" Cas shouted. "You're the one who hurt Gail, not me! Why would I want to hurt her, when I have you for that?"

Castiel stopped himself just short of killing Jason, using all the self-control he had. He stepped back, panting, the pulse beating at his temples. No, he wasn't going to make it that easy for Jason. No escape in the form of death for him. He was going to be Castiel's pet now, a toy Cas could play with whenever he wanted.

"If you're trying to get me to kill you, it won't work," Cas sneered. "Nice try, though. I think I'm going to have to keep you around a good long time. Next time I think I'll gag you, though, if you can't keep your filthy mouth shut."

He glared at Jason, daring him to say something else. Let him dare to speak Gail's name again and see what happened.

But Jason was done. He was in too much pain to smart-mouth Castiel any more. He just wanted it to stop.

And, mercifully, Castiel was wiping the blood from his blade on his pants and stashing it back in his blazer. He would have wiped it on Jason's clothes, but Jason was so covered in the stuff now there wasn't a clean spot to be seen.

Cas's urge for violence was sated for the moment, and he was now eager to see Gail. He loved her, and he would never hurt her. Jason had just been trying to get under his skin.

He loomed over Jason and Jason shrank back, but Castiel was healing Jason's injuries now. Now that Cas didn't have to worry about sigils holding him back, he could do anything he wanted within these prison walls. He'd better not push it, though. If they saw the mess he'd made of Jason, he might have a problem. He was just starting to enjoy himself; why invite trouble?

There was nothing he could do about the blood on Jason's clothes, though, or the blood on his own, nor about the pools of blood on the floor. He'd tried to wave his hands over them but nothing had happened. Oh well, you couldn't have everything. But Ethan wasn't stupid. Even though Jason was fully healed now, the young guard would know what had transpired here. Should Cas kill Ethan? But how could he explain that? Unless he put a blade in Jason's hand and said that Jason had attacked Ethan before Castiel could stop him. For a moment, he considered it. But something held him back. Ethan had been so good to him and Gail when they'd been here. Castiel owed him for that. So for now, he would let young Ethan live. But he'd better talk to Bobby about that promotion, or at least a transfer. He couldn't guarantee the same result next time.

Castiel bent down to awaken Ethan, and then he mentally kicked himself. Of course. The two-finger system.

So when Ethan awoke, his memory had been modified, and he saw no blood. Castiel told him that Jason had had no information. He'd just been screwing with them. Ethan had no memory of what had happened in this room, but he had been here and awake the whole time, and the prisoner was fine. But then he looked into Castiel's eyes and saw that they were a deep purple colour.

"What's with your eyes?" Ethan asked him, puzzled.

Castiel cursed himself. In his excitement, he had forgotten to put his contact lenses back in. How could he explain? "I don't know what you mean, Ethan," he said quietly, hoping that the confusion induced by his modifying of Ethan's memory would somehow extend to what Ethan was seeing now.

"Your eyes," Ethan said to him. "They're purple."

"Are they?" Cas said. He was stalling; he had no idea what to say.

"Yeah," Ethan said, looking at Cas curiously. "But they were blue when you came in."

Cas sighed. He had nothing to offer but the truth. Well, a very small part of it, anyway. "Jason made me angry," he told Ethan. "Sometimes they change colour when that happens."

Ethan frowned. He had seen a lot of emotions in Cas, including anger, but he had never seen that before. "Since when?" he asked.

Cas smirked. "It's a fairly recent development. But it's nothing to worry about."

Ethan wasn't so sure. Cas looked weird like that.

"Oh, it's something to worry about, all right," Jason piped up. "I'd be plenty worried, if I were you." But he was looking at Castiel when he said it.

Ethan escorted Jason back to his jail cell. It was just the two of them. Castiel had exited the prison directly from the interrogation room, saying he had to get back to Earth and collect Gail. Ethan had told him to give Gail his love, and Cas had smiled. He certainly would.

Ethan put Jason back in his cell, and Jason looked at the young guard. "There's something very wrong with him, you know," he told Ethan.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's good, coming from you," he jeered. "I know what you're in here for. What you did to them."

"Fine, don't believe me," Jason retorted. "But don't say I didn't warn you. He knocked you out back there, tortured the hell out of me, and then did something to you so you wouldn't see all the blood."

Ethan was skeptical. "Yeah, right. Like I would ever believe that. You're the one that was messing with us."

"Really?" Jason looked down at himself and noticed that there was a small pool of blood in the crease of his pants. He dipped his fingers in it and smeared it on Ethan's arm after Ethan took the cuffs off of him. "Is that my imagination?"

Ethan looked at the red smear on his arm, then he peered closely at Jason. Now Ethan was beginning to see the blood on Jason's clothes, and he pictured Castiel's hand descending on his forehead.

"Even if I was inclined to believe you, what you're saying is impossible," Ethan told Jason. He backed away to the cell door, keeping an eye on his prisoner. "The prison is encased in sigils."

"That doesn't matter to him any more," Jason said evenly. "He's no longer an Angel."

Ethan locked the cell door and then looked at Jason once more. "You're a liar," he said, and then he walked down the corridor to the front desk.

But he sat there for a while, and Ethan began to wonder who the liar really was. He'd felt sorry for Castiel during the tribunal, and then had ended up supporting him, and then had looked up to him. But then Cas had killed Lanister, and had lied to Ethan about the circumstances of the murder. And now Ethan had his suspicions about what had really just happened in the interrogation room. He had seen Jason's condition when God had first sent Jason to prison from the cabin. And Ethan had seen Cas's eyes.

Ethan's heart sank. It couldn't be true. The treachery of Demons, he could handle; that was nothing when compared to the betrayal of an Angel, especially one who you had admired so much. But where was the proof? He couldn't just run around making wild accusations.

He would have to watch Castiel very closely.

Gail was teasing Frank about Jody.

Jody had gotten back on the road after dinner. She'd been away longer than she'd planned, and she needed to get back and make sure the deputies hadn't cocked everything up in her absence, she joked. There were hugs all around, and she had walked up the stairs and exited the bunker as they all waved goodbye.

Gail had noticed her brother watching Jody leave, and she was giving him a hard time about it now.

"I do believe someone's got a little crush on someone," she said slyly, smiling on Frank.

"Get out of here," he said, giving her a gentle, playful shove. "I do like her, though. She's good people." He smiled.

"Methinks he doth protest too much," Gail said to Sam, who was grinning. Sam was so happy to see Gail and Frank like this. It was about time. He'd hated to see the tension and fighting between them. But now that the ugly episode with Cas was over, the siblings were rediscovering their bond, and it was good to see.

"Shouldn't that be 'I think'?" Dean said, sitting down next to Gail and uncapping a beer.

She looked at him, amused. "Really, Dean? Seriously?"

Sam just about snorted the sip of beer he'd just taken out of his nose at the look on Dean's face.

"Your sister and my brother," Dean groused to Frank. "They think they're the smartest people anywhere."

"Yeah," Frank agreed, smiling. "Maybe it's them who should have gotten together." Ouch. He probably shouldn't have said that. He'd only been teasing, but Gail was so sensitive about Cas. Now that they were getting along so well, he didn't want her to think he was insulting Cas.

But Gail was smiling mischeviously. "Well, we did sleep together in Vegas," she joked, looking at Sam. "Remember?"

"I'll never forget," Sam teased back. He raised his beer bottle to her.

"What?" Frank said, puzzled.

Gail laughed and told him the story. Dean and Sam chipped in, making sarcastic comments about Gail having been too pure to join in the fun of that night.

"It's hardly because I'm too pure," she retorted. Boy, if they only knew, now. "It's because I was the only sensible one."

Gail looked fondly at the men. Her three brothers. This was more like it. Everybody getting along, no blades coming out. Maybe she should come clean, now, tell them what was really going on before things got very bad. She and Cas couldn't keep up their deception forever, and Gail was afraid of what might happen if Cas lost his temper again. Oh, who was she kidding? Not if. When. But she'd made her committment to Cas and had given him her promise. She still loved him above all else. No one understood her and Cas's relationship. How could these guys possibly understand? None of them had ever been in a committed relationship with a woman. Hell, none of them had ever been with a woman for more than a couple of months, let alone been in the kind of relationship that she and Cas had. Cas loved her and he put her needs before anything else. He always had. He'd been ready to plead guilty to all of the charges at the tribunal just to save her life. He'd rescued her from Crowley. He'd forgiven her after she'd said all those horrible things about him on the witness stand. He'd protected her from their enemies time and time again, and he wouldn't let anyone say a bad word about her. How could she even consider selling him out like that?

She couldn't. So Gail said nothing. Just sat there and teased her guys.

Cas came out of the shower and dressed, throwing his bloody clothes on the floor. He considered burning them, as he'd joked to Gail the other day, but then vetoed the idea. He had nothing to hide from Gail now, and that would be wasteful. She could do a laundry, or she could show him how to. It didn't matter to him.

He made sure to blink the blue contacts back into his eyes before he left for the bunker. That had been a stupid mistake on his part. Fortunately, Ethan hadn't raised too much of a stink about it. But he would have to be more careful next time.

He winked into the library area and saw her, sitting and laughing with her brother and the Winchesters. They all looked so happy together. For a moment, Cas wondered if he should just pop back out again, go back to the house and pack his things. How could he ask Gail to put up with him the way he was now? She had agreed because she loved him, but he was using that love as a weapon. And what would happen to his relationship with her and with the Winchesters when he really started to deteriorate?

But he couldn't do it. Sam had seen him now, and as Sam said, "Hey, Cas," Gail turned around and looked at him, and his gradually blackening heart melted. He needed her, and he needed her with him.

So Cas walked up to the table and leaned down, kissing Gail on the cheek. But he made sure that was all. He could wait until they got home.

"How're things in Heaven?" Dean asked him. Gail had told them all that Castiel's presence had been required there, but she hadn't elaborated. Angel stuff, she'd said. And truthfully, Dean didn't really care.

"Same old, same old," Cas said, smiling. "Angel crap."

Dean smirked. "Right. Whatever."

"Have a seat, Cas," Sam said, and Frank moved over one. He wanted Cas to know he was welcome to sit down with them any time.

But Cas was shaking his head. "No, I don't think so, guys," he said mildly. "it's been a long day. I just want to go home." He looked down at Gail. "If that's OK with you," he said to her.

She rose from her chair. "Sure, Cas. It has been a long day." She put her hand on Frank's shoulder, smiling at him and Sam and Dean. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Maybe you can stay for a longer visit tomorrow," Frank said. He'd been having a good time with his sister, and he really did want to get to know Cas better.

"Maybe," Cas said vaguely. But he extended his hand to Frank, and they shook. "We'll see. If not tomorrow, it'll be soon, though. I promise."

"Better make it soon," Dean said. "We'll be going back out on the road. Getting the taste again."

Cas could relate. "I hear you," he said. He took Gail's hand. "Goodnight." Then he winked the two of them home.

Cas led her straight to the bedroom, and he took the contact lenses out as she looked down at the bundle of bloody clothes on the floor.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Fantastic," he told her. He strode over to where she was standing. "Really good."

Cas grabbed Gail's top and pulled it over her head, then did the same with his shirt. Maybe he'd try to find shirts without buttons, to save time. He kissed her, probing her mouth with his tongue. She undid her pants and stepped out of them, and he did the same with his.

He picked her up and took her to the bed, propping her up against the headboard. In his eagerness to have her, he pushed too hard, and the back of Gail's head hit the headboard. "Ow! Cas!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," he smiled. He pulled her down and laid her head on the pillows. "Better?"

She smiled. "Better."

He was already inside her, and he was more aggressive than he'd ever been. He was holding her so tightly it almost hurt, but it felt really good, too. Gail's breathing became panting, and when Cas's thumb began to stroke her in the place she liked in addition to what he was already doing, Gail began to call out his name, saying she loved him, and then she lost her words altogether.

They were in each other's arms, talking about her time in the bunker and his time in Heaven.

"So everything's OK with you and Frank now?" he asked Gail, kissing her gently on the forehead. He hoped her head didn't still hurt. He really hadn't meant to do that, he'd just gotten carried away for a moment.

"Yeah," she told him. She was still trying to catch her breath. The back of her head still hurt, and now her body hurt in other places, too. But she felt great. The aches and pains would subside.

"I'm glad, Gail," Cas said, and he meant it. "There's no need for any acrimony between us. We've got our life, and they've got theirs. They'll be going on the road soon, and we'll have our training with Crowley. Everybody wins."

She supposed he was right. There was a time when she really would have missed the guys, but now she thought it was for the best. If Sam and Dean went, Frank would go too, either with them or out on his own. Then she and Cas could go about their business, and they wouldn't have to worry about hiding anything from their friends.

He was caressing her body again, and his eyes were that beautiful shade of violet.

"How did things go with Jason?" she asked Cas. "What did he say?"

He frowned momentarily, and his caresses ceased. "Nothing of any significance," he told her.

"Well, what did he want with you, then?" she asked.

"Just to mess with me," Cas said casually. Then he smiled. "But he clearly forgot the position he's in now. I had to remind him."

Gail thought about the bloody clothes on the floor.

Cas sighed, shrugging his shoulders. There was no reason not to tell her, he supposed. "He went on and on with some nonsense about how Metatron planned to do something to me at the cabin, and Jason believes he succeeded."

Gail was startled. "What did he mean by that?"

"Who knows?" Cas said. "Jason had no further information to give." Then he smiled again. "Though I did try and try to elicit more." He grabbed Gail's hand and brought it down to touch him. He was feeling excited again, thinking of every slash and stab he'd inflicted on Jason.

She stroked him for a minute, then they exchanged a look and Gail moved down his body. Good girl, he thought, closing his eyes. Apparently, she knew what he needed, too.

He gave himself up to what she was doing, and Gail wanted to make him feel as good as he always made her feel. And it was working. God, she was good. He cried out her name, and then he just cried out.

When he regained his breath and his senses, Cas pulled her up to kiss him, then pulled her body up to meet his mouth. "Don't move," he told her. His fingers were digging into her skin, but what he was doing with his tongue more than made up for it. "Don't move," he said again. But she had to move; he was driving her crazy. She started to whimper, but his grip tightened. "Not until I say," he said softly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Cas, please," she breathed. "Do you love me?" he asked her. "Yes," she answered. "Please, Cas." "Yes, what?" he smiled. "Yes, I love you," she said, pleading. Cas smiled. "OK. Now." She began to move, and he moved with her, and Gail cried out loudly. Maybe it was his name, maybe not, who knew, who cared? The only thing that was important was the way he was making her feel, and it was everything.

They lay together for the rest of the night until the morning came. At one point, Cas may have even have dozed off; Gail wasn't really sure. Neither of them were completely Angels any more, though Gail was still more Angel than Cas was now. The Angel in him was fading fast, being consumed by the poison. But he still loved Gail, and he always would. He'd been a bit rough with her last night, and he could see the bruises forming on her body now. But she had liked it. She was kissing his chest now, and his hand began to stroke her again, but she stopped him reluctantly.

"Maybe we'd better wait for a bit," she said ruefully. "I'm pretty sore." She smiled. "Well worth it, though."

He smiled back. He was glad she was happy.

"You?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Her hand was on him, and he was starting to feel the effects of her touch again. It was unbelievable. He started to move against her, thinking about pushing her down into the pillows and proceeding anyway. What was a little more soreness? But he reined himself in and grabbed her hand. "I can wait," he told her. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it, then licked her palm. "Remember where we were," he murmured, smiling.

He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. If he didn't get out of this bed now, he'd never let her leave it. And he had other things he wanted to do, although none he wanted to do as much. He stood up and started to dress.

Cas turned around and looked at her. "Please get dressed, before I change my mind."

Gail smiled. God, he was cute. "Okie-dokie," she said, hopping out of the bed and walking to the closet. She chose a top and a pair of pants and dressed. She was moving a bit gingerly now due to her soreness, and she noticed the bruises coming in. "Ow," she said mildly.

"Are you all right?" Cas asked her. He crossed the room to where she stood. "I guess I was a bit - enthusiastic last night." The things that Jason had said to him yesterday flashed into his mind, but he shook them off. This wasn't the same thing. Oh, no? a voice in his head spoke up.

But she was smiling. "Yes, you were. But I'm fine."

He took her in his arms. "But you liked it, didn't you?" he asked Gail.

"Yes, Cas," she reassured him. "I liked it." And she was telling the truth. Even now, as sore as she was, she was about one touch away from taking off her clothes and having him do it to her again. Were they in love, or were they nuts?

It was both, and it was neither. Metatron had poured heavily when he'd grabbed the ingredient for Lust, not knowing what he was doing or what the effect would be. The bonding agent had been the most important ingredient, anyway. That was the one that ensured that the disease would stay inside Castiel for eternity, and the one that would be his undoing.

Castiel called Crowley on his cell phone. "It's time we had our first session," he said when Crowley answered.

Crowley would normally have been angry that Castiel was calling him out of the blue like this, thinking that he was calling all the shots, but he was frankly curious to see his Brother. Crowley wanted to see where Castiel's head was at, see if he was starting to deteriorate yet. He had no idea how things had already accelerated within Castiel, and no idea what he had done to Gail.

So they agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse that would serve as their training ground. The place was big enough so that they could stretch out a bit, and it was in a deserted part of town, so they could let their hair down without being heard.

Crowley was already there waiting when the couple appeared. He eyed them appraisingly as they approached.

He was pleased to see that Castiel's eyes were purple. Cas had not bothered to put the contacts in for this meeting; it wasn't as if they had to hide his current status from Crowley, after all. Which reminded him: "Everyone believes that Gail and I met with you yesterday and that you removed the rest of your Demon essence from me," Castiel told him without preliminary.

Interesting. But Crowley could certainly see why. And it wasn't only the eyes, it was his Brother's bearing and his attitude that were different. Crowley knew him very well, and he'd picked up on it right away.

Then his eyes shifted to Gail, and his jaw dropped. He could see the bruises on her arms, and he could just bet that she had more in other places that her clothing covered. She was moving a bit gingerly, too. A part of him felt like grinning at that, thinking of the implications. But the bruises faintly disturbed him, though he didn't know exactly why. He was the King of Hell, for God's sake. So to speak. What should he care if Castiel was rough with Gail? She was here, wasn't she? That must mean she liked it.

"Good to know," Crowley said in answer to Castiel's comment, dragging his eyes away from Gail. "But how have they not noticed the change?"

Cas smiled, taking Gail's hand. "Blue contact lenses, and self-control," he told Crowley.

"So that's where the self-control is going," Crowley said casually. His eyes had drifted back to Gail.

That made Cas angry. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snapped. "And what business is it of yours, anyway?"

"You're right, Castiel, it is none of my business," Crowley said calmly. Wow. Was his Brother ever deteriorating. Good times, as Dean would say.

"You're awfully quiet, sweetheart," Crowley said to Gail.

"Nothing to say, I suppose," she said to him.

"And you're OK with...everything?" Crowley asked her, curious.

Cas knew what he was getting at. "It's OK, Gail, you can tell him," he said gently.

Gail sighed. All right, then, she would. "Cas injected me with his blood," she told Crowley.

If Crowley had had a mouthful of liquid, he would have spat it out. He couldn't believe it. Castiel had no idea what he'd done. Though one injection probably wouldn't damage her irrevocably, Crowley now understood how she was able to be here with the creature that Castiel had become, holding his hand and wearing his bruises.

"Don't look at me like that," Castiel snarled. "It was her own choice."

Crowley raised his eyebrows. He hadn't been looking at Castiel in any particular way; he'd been looking at Gail. Perhaps that was the glimmer of Angel still in his Brother, and the guilty way he might be feeling seeing Gail through someone else's eyes. If the King of Hell thought there was something wrong with you, there was really something wrong with you.

"Is that true?" Crowley asked her coolly.

"Yes, it's true," she replied, nodding. "I love him." Cas smiled and put his arms around her from behind, looking at Crowley. "See?" he said. He kissed Gail's ear, then licked it, and she smiled, pulling Cas's arms tighter around her.

Crowley was starting to feel unclean watching the two of them, and that was really saying something. Still, he was amused. The two of them were bought and paid for now, though they were still obviously in denial about it. They still thought they could fool God and their friends about what they were now and whose side they were really on. Well, that wasn't going to last much longer. All you had to do was look at them.

But he didn't really care. Why should he? Crowley was curious to see what they could do, though, and how much use they would be to him once it got to that point.

He walked up to Gail. "Let me see your blade," he said to her. He held out his hand.

Castiel moved out from behind Gail. "You're kidding, right?" he said derisively.

"Oh, relax," Crowley said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not feeling too relaxed at the moment," Castiel retorted, removing his blade from his jacket.

Crowley sighed. "I merely wanted to look at it," he told Castiel. "Here." He put his hands up and moved closer to Gail. "Take it out, and if I try anything, your boyfriend can kill me. Or is it husband, now?" He couldn't resist. "I'm sure the relationship has been consummated, many times over. And in many different ways." Crowley smirked.

Now it was Castiel's turn to sigh. It was indicative of his transformation that Crowley's remark didn't even make him particularly angry. After all, the King was right. "Do it, Gail," he said to her. "Show it to him. I don't think he'll try anything."

With a glance at Castiel, Gail took her Angel blade out of the sheath she had hooked onto the hip of her pants. She'd fashioned the sheath a while back and no longer carried a purse. She'd learned that lesson the hard way in Vancouver.

She showed the blade to Crowley and he bent closer, examining the markings on its hilt. He straightened up after a moment, his expression brightening.

"She's an Original, all right," Crowley told them both. "It's all right there."

"Where?" Castiel asked. "What are you talking about?"

Crowley pointed to Gail's blade. "The markings on the hilt. All blades are unique, and these markings denote the powers of its owner."

Castiel was astonished. All these centuries, and this was the first he was hearing of this? "How do you know?" he asked Crowley. "And how do you know that, when I don't?"

Crowley smiled. "You must have skipped school that day." He was pleased to know something of such importance that Castiel didn't. Their Father had always favoured Castiel, so it was a mystery to Crowley how he could know this without his Brother knowing it too, but he was not above revelling in it. "Or maybe our Father didn't love you as much as you thought. He told me about it very early in the game," Crowley bragged.

Castiel was angry again, and it was obvious he was also jealous. Good, Crowley thought. Let him see how it felt for a change.

"Why would He tell you and not me?" Castiel said resentfully.

"I'm sure I don't know," Crowley said happily. "Why don't you ask Him? Oh, that's right, you can't. He's gone. Though you should be glad He is. One look at you right now and He'd be thoroughly disgusted. You'd be Lucifer's roommate in a heartbeat."

"Shut up, Crowley," Gail snapped, somewhat unexpectedly. Both men turned to look at her. "That's right, I'm still here," she said tartly. "You're hardly one to talk, Crowley. Besides, who was it that put the Demon in him in the first place? Oh yeah, that was you. And me, and Frank. You've got to start shutting your mouth and quit sticking things in us," she quipped. Part Demon or no, she was still herself, and her mouth twitched. She'd been mad at him for hurting Cas's feelings, though. Cas was looking equal parts angry and sad now. Probably thinking about how his Father would be disappointed in him now. Well, that ship had sailed, hadn't it? All they had to do now was wait for the iceberg.

"It looks like my Brother is the one who's - " Crowley started to retort, then he smiled. He actually liked the both of them this way. No more moony-eyed, Angelic hand-holding. No more holier-than-thou pretense. He felt closer to them now. They could actually be a family. That was if he could get them to get on board, but he didn't think that was going to be much of a problem. Not from what he could see coming from the both of them now.

"Bring your blade over here, Castiel," Crowley said to him. "You can look at them and compare."

Castiel came over to where they stood with his blade raised. The sight still made Crowley a little nervous, so he said, "Give your blade to Gail to hold." He looked at her, smirking. "I know you know how to do that."

Incredibly, Gail smiled. Yes, she did, and King of Hell or not, that had been a good one.

Castiel rolled his eyes and handed her the blade. She held them side by side, and Crowley pointed at the markings. "See? They're different. Ancient Enochian."

Castiel scanned the markings in amazement. Crowley was right. He could see the difference, and when he concentrated, he could make out a few words here and there. The ancient language had never been his strong suit, and he was out of practice. But he could see, for instance, that his had a notation that said he could forsee future events, but it had a line through it. He had elected to give up that ability when he'd burned Chuck's prophecies way back when, and not only did his blade show that ability, it was updated to reflect that he now did not have it. Did the markings update themselves?

Then he looked at Gail's blade and saw with a shock that hers stated that she had the ability to call forth animals to attack. Had he read that right? Then he remembered. He looked at Crowley and pointed to the marking. "The hawk," they said together.

"What are you guys talking about?" Gail asked them, annoyed. They were looking at her blade, and she was entitled to know. The only other language she'd ever learned a bit of was French, when she'd been reading some magazines in Canada between calls in the poker room, and that was self-taught. She didn't think that was going to be particularly helpful in this situation.

So they told her what the marking they were looking at said, and reminded her about the hawk that had attacked Metatron when he'd been holding the Demon Tablet, about to close the Gates of Hell.

Gail was astonished. She had done that? She remembered seeing the hawk flying in the sky and wishing it would peck Metatron's eyes out, then raising her arm involuntarily against the storm that had been brewing. A golden beam had come out of her hand and the next thing she knew, the hawk was attacking Metatron, causing him to drop the Demon Tablet into the pit.

"I did that!" Gail told them, smiling. Crowley gave her a small bow. "And I still owe you for that," he said to her, smiling also. "I had been intending to repay you by bringing everyone to the cabin to save you both, but by the time we got there, Castiel had matters well in hand." He looked sideways at Castiel, and they found they could actually smile at each other about that.

"And now that we're all getting along so swimmingly, allow me to show you mine," Crowley said to them. He opened his suit jacket to reveal a blade. "Unless you think yours might suffer by comparison," he quipped to Castiel. Like Gail, he was who he was.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Hardly," she said, looking at Castiel. They smiled at each other.

Now it was Crowley's turn to roll his eyes. Like Dean would have done, he almost told them to get a room. But they already had one, and they were making good use of it. Must be nice.

He took his blade out and held it beside theirs. Gail was so fascinated she didn't even flinch.

Crowley pointed. "See, there's my ability to speak any language."

Castiel could see it now, plain as day. But Gail's brow furrowed. "Looks like just a bunch of squiggles to me," she said, frowning. "Clearly, my learning curve is about the size of a ferris wheel on this one. I wonder how much Sam charges for tutoring."

Cas could see that it bothered her to be in the dark about this, so he said, "I'll teach you all I know. We'll look at them tonight." They'd better leave the blades in the living room though, he thought, and he got a very strange feeling at that. Almost like a foreboding. But it was true; once they crossed the threshhold of the only room they'd been spending any time in, there wouldn't be a hell of a lot of intellectualizing going on in there. He smiled.

"Wait a minute," Castiel said to Crowley. Gail's mention of Sam had reminded him of something. "Didn't you lose your blade in Las Vegas? I thought Sam had it now."

Crowley shook his head. "That wasn't mine. It was from the weapons room in Hell." Castiel looked at him, startled. "Oh, like Heaven doesn't have a weapons room," Crowley said sardonically. "And if I peeked, I'll bet I would see at least a few Demon blades in there."

That was true enough, Castiel thought. He'd put quite a few in there himself, courtesy of the many Demons he'd killed over the years. But perhaps now was not the best time to bring that up, not when they were standing so close to each other. And it wasn't as if Crowley didn't already know.

"I seldom use mine, to be honest," Crowley said to Castiel, as Gail smirked. "And you can quit smiling, Gail, I see you," he said to her, but he smiled too. Apparently, she was bringing that out in him. He took his blade away from where he'd been holding it beside theirs and put it in his coat pocket. "It's too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands. You two want to be careful with yours, as well."

"You don't have to worry about that," Castiel said, taking his own blade back from Gail and putting it back in his jacket as Crowley had done. "It never leaves my side."

Gail sheathed hers as well. "I have to admit I don't always have mine with me," she said. "Maybe I'll start carrying it all the time."

Cas frowned. "You don't need to. Not with me around."

"But you may not always be around," she pointed out. "What about if you have to go back up to Heaven by yourself again?" She looked at him, trying to convey the message without saying it aloud. There were still some things that were none of Crowley's business.

But Crowley was curious. "And why would you go to Heaven by yourself, Castiel?"

Cas gave Gail a momentary glare, but then he shrugged. What did he care if Crowley knew? At least the King of Hell would understand.

"I was told that Jason wanted to see me to talk about what happened in the cabin," Cas told Crowley. Then he grinned. "I didn't mind conversing with him about that."

Crowley was intrigued. He wouldn't have minded being a fly on the wall for that little conversation.

"He seemed to think that Metatron had done something to me before I sent him into the great beyond," Castiel continued, smirking. "My blade and I convinced Jason that he was mistaken."

Crowley regarded Castiel calmly, but his mind was racing. What did Jason know? Obviously, not that much, or else Castiel was hiding the knowledge. But Crowley doubted that. The poor guy had no clue; he thought it was just Crowley's Demon essence that was making him behave this way, and Gail must think the same. Too bad these two didn't know what Crowley himself knew. Yeah. Too bad for them. Why should he tell them what he knew? There was no upside to it for him. While Castiel still had a bit of Angel left inside of him, and Crowley could see that there was still a sliver, he might get the crazy and noble idea that Sam and Dean should kill him before he sank all the way down. And Gail was still a good part Angel herself. No. Crowley wouldn't be enlightening them any time soon. Where would the fun be in that?

"Where'd you find this place?" Gail asked Crowley, as they walked around the warehouse.

"I looked in the Yellow Pages under 'Secret Training Facilities'," he quipped.

She smiled at him. "You're dating yourself. You should have said Google."

"Well, I have been around since Creation," he retorted, but good-naturedly. "I think I'm entitled."

"Well, I'm going to call it the Room of Requirement," Gail joked, "and we can be the DA. Demons/Angels." She had been smiling, but she frowned now. Was that last part even funny? Maybe not so much.

But Crowley laughed, and he silently thanked her for it. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually had a genuine laugh. And he got the reference. "Our blades can be like our wands," he responded. "The blade chooses the being, I guess. I'd love to have a few House Elves, though."

Now Gail laughed. That had been pretty clever. "Don't tell me you're a fellow Potterhead," she said, looking at him.

"Guilty as charged," Crowley told her. "They are books from my supposed homeland, after all. You?"

"I am..." she paused for drama, "e-qual-ly guilty."

Crowley laughed again. He hadn't laughed even once in centuries, it seemed, and now he'd laughed twice in two minutes. Unbelievable. Was this what having a friend was like? Or a sister-in-law, he supposed. Though his Brother was not looking too pleased at the moment. Which made him feel like laughing again.

"My favourite book of the series, and my favourite movie," Crowley said to Gail. He tipped her a wink. "Although the wrong guy won in the end."

Gail laughed again, and she put her hand on Crowley's arm without thinking, just like she would have done with Frank, or Sam or Dean. He was being too funny.

The tip of Castiel's blade was suddenly underneath her hand, lifting it from Crowley's arm. "I don't think so," Cas said quietly from behind them, though it was unclear which of them he was talking to. Probably both.

Crowley was amused, but he was also annoyed. What was wrong with them getting along, sharing a laugh? It was bloody miraculous, considering their dark history. Didn't his Brother's kind believe in miracles? But then he reminded himself that he and Castiel were the same kind now, and Castiel was looking murderous. Crowley had best be careful.

But Gail spoke up. "Oh, put that thing away," she said to Castiel. "We were just having a laugh. It wouldn't hurt for you to lighten up once in a while. We're all in this boat together, you know."

Cas grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to look at him. "That may be true, but you're not Rose, and he sure as hell isn't Jack! You see, I watch movies, too," he said sarcastically.

"What are you babbling about?" Crowley asked him, mystified.

But Gail got it. "Ow," she said mildly, and Cas let go of her arm as if it were hot to the touch, looking at the bruises there. Cas was feeling jealous and insecure. Only this wasn't just about an innocent and unwitting touch on the arm. It was about the way a small part of himself felt about the ever-growing other part of himself. Cas was afraid of what he was becoming, and despite her promise to him, he was afraid she was going to turn her back on him when he got worse.

Sensing this, Gail put her arms around him and his arms crept around her tentatively, just like the old Castiel would have done. He laid his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair, comforting him.

"I'm sorry, Gail," he said softly. "Look at your poor body. I'm a monster."

"No, you're not," she assured him. "You're still my Cas." She was still defending him, enabling him.

Crowley shook his head. They were both nuts. He'd heard about codependent relationships, but this was ridiculous. He didn't know if he was more disgusted that Gail was staying with Castiel, supporting him, or if he respected her more because of it. She certainly had guts. If he had to be in such close quarters with that temper and those eyes, Crowley would have run off screaming by now.

Cas lifted his head from Gail's shoulder and smiled, and his smile chilled Crowley's blood. He was manipulating her and her emotions, and Gail wasn't even aware of it. Cas kissed her, using his tongue, and he ran his hands all over her body, under her clothing, as if marking his territory.

Crowley rolled his eyes, looking away. "Why don't you just pee all over her and get it over with?" he said irritably.

Cas let go of Gail and marched over to Crowley. "I believe I've had just about enough of you," he snarled in Crowley's face. "The next time you see my blade, you won't be able to read the markings."

Gail stepped in-between them. "Maybe that's enough for today. We're all eternal beings here, we've got all the time in the world. Come on, Cas." She pulled him away from Crowley. "We'll call you," Gail said over her shoulder, still steering Cas away. "Next time, I'll bring snacks." She winked herself and Castiel out of the building.

Crowley let out the breath he'd been holding. Then he smiled. "'I'll bring snacks'," he repeated aloud. He could really get to like Gail, if Castiel didn't kill them both.

Gail and Cas appeared in their living room. He took her by the arm, being careful to avoid the most badly bruised area, and tried to lead her upstairs, but Gail planted her feet.

"No. We have to talk first," she told him.

He looked at her. "We can talk in the bedroom," he said mildly.

"I don't think that's possible, and I'm just as much to blame." His eyes flashed, but Gail continued. "You know what I mean, Cas. I gave you my promise, and I meant it. But you're going to have to work with me here. I was just joking around. You know the more nervous I get, the more I joke. You know that about me." He nodded. He did know that. "Well, I was really nervous to be that close to Crowley, and even though I know this training is something we both want, and I know you would always protect me from him, my nerves got the better of me. You can understand that, can't you?"

Now she was lying, manipulating him. She hadn't been the least bit frightened of Crowley back there. In fact, that might have been the only time in her existence that she had been genuinely enjoying the King of Hell's company for a minute. But she was certainly not going to tell Cas that. Look how he had reacted over a couple of silly jokes and an innocent touch on the arm. She wouldn't get much training or instruction if Cas ran his blade through Crowley when they saw him next, would she? And Gail had been fascinated by what she was learning about the markings on the blades, and thrilled to discover that she now had at least one very interesting power she'd never known she had.

She told Cas this now, and she emphasized to him that they were in this together, to use Crowley for his knowledge. Nothing had changed in that regard. She hated Crowley, but it was easier, if they had to be in such relatively close quarters, to just get along. And she loved Cas. She had chosen to stay with him, hadn't she?

Cas acknowledged that everything she was saying was true, but: "I still need some reassurance," he told her.

"OK, let's go into the bedroom, then," she said, smiling. "You've never doubted me in there."

"Oh, we'll be doing that," he replied, smiling. "But wait here first. I'll be right back."

Her brow furrowed. Where was he going?

She found out a moment later when he came back downstairs. With the syringe in his hand.

"Just one more," Cas said softly, sitting down beside her on the couch. "Then I promise I'll get rid of it and you'll never see it again."

Gail looked at him and sighed. Did he really need her to do this once more? Hadn't she already committed herself to him by agreeing to it the first time?

"You're hesitating," Cas said, and his look darkened. "Did you even mean it when you made your promise?"

"Yes, I meant it, Cas," she replied. "And I still mean it." What the hell, she thought. How much more bad could it be? If this was what he needed for her to prove her committment to him, she supposed she could let him do it again. And he had given her his promise that this would be the last time. They had never gone back on any promise either of them had ever made to the other. So she gave him her arm.

Gail hadn't really felt the effects of the first injection when she'd received it. The poison had seeped into her slowly, and the change had been gradual. But after Cas gave her the second shot and broke the needle with his hands, throwing it onto the coffee table, he pulled her upstairs and into the bedroom and she began to feel a low hum, almost like a tingle, throughout her whole body. She had never taken any sort of illicit drug, but she had read accounts from people who had, and Gail imagined this must be what shooting up speed must be like. And this had been only one vial of what was coursing through Cas's body all the time. Wow.

She laid down on the bed and submitted as Cas tore the clothes off her body and tore his off as well. Who cared, they could buy new ones. He was on top of her, and she wrapped her legs around him as he tore into her. She winced, but the pain soon went away and she went with the motion.

"What do you need, Gail?" he breathed.

"Everything," she told him.

"That can be arranged," he said, smiling.

They had pretty much done it all, too, including one or two things she would have never thought she was capable of doing, or would enjoy. But Gail had enjoyed everything, and she was stretched out on her stomach, temporarily too tired and sore to move. Cas was on top of her, and his hands were still caressing her body. She would have more bruises in the morning, and probably some abrasions, too. Or was it later tonight? How long had they been here? It was a good thing they didn't eat, or they would have starved to death by now.

His fingers were stroking her again, and she sighed contentedly. "That's so good," she told him, and he smiled. He knew.

"You can roll over or stay like that. Your choice," he said to her.

"I don't know if I have the energy to roll over," she said, her voice muffled by the pillows.

"Suit yourself, then," Cas shrugged. He lifted her hips and entered her, and his fingers kept stroking, and Gail found she did have the energy to move, after all. She cried his name out into the pillows, and Cas continued to smile. He loved it when she did that.

And so it continued, on and on, until the next day. Dean had called twice, and Cas had simply ignored the phone. He had never promised them they'd see him and Gail the next day, had he?

In the morning, he asked her, "What do you want to do today?"

"Besides this, you mean?" she said, smiling up at him.

He couldn't argue with what she was doing right now, that was for sure. She was as insatiable as he was now, and Cas was glad. Until he'd given her the second shot, he'd been a little apprehensive that he was giving her more than she wanted, and being a little too rough with her in the process. But now he could see the marks that he had left all over her body, yet when he reached for her, she pulled his hands to the places on her body where she wanted them to go. He loved being this aggressive with her. She was allowing his true nature to come out, and he didn't have to hold anything back with her. No wonder he never wanted to leave this room; besides the interrogation room at the prison, it was the one place where he felt like he could be himself, do anything he wanted.

"Unless you want me to stop?" she teased. He could hear the smile in her voice; he had his eyes closed.

"I don't think so," he said, holding her head where it was. He began to move, and she was going with it, making him feel incredible once again. He didn't let go until it was over, and then she crawled back up beside him and laid her body on top of his.

"Did you like that?" she asked, kissing him on the mouth.

"I loved it," he murmured. He was finding it hard to speak right now, but he smiled at her. "I love you."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I need to take a break," Gail said, wincing as she lifted herself off of him. "I feel like I've just gone 10 rounds with a wrestling champion."

Cas frowned. "Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, but I'll be OK," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" he asked her. Then: "Are you happy, Gail?"

"Yes, I'm very happy, Cas," she told him. "Don't worry so much."

OK, he wouldn't, then, he thought. He kissed her, using his tongue, and she gave him hers. His hands caressed her, but he tried to do it gently this time. There wasn't too much that he could touch that didn't have some kind of a welt or bruise on it. He supposed he should feel badly about that, but he'd been too busy feeling good to notice until now. And she had said she was happy.

"Do you love me?" he asked her. Now that he'd noticed her condition, he felt the need to ask.

"I love you, Cas," she said, touching his face. He felt better immediately. She hadn't done that in a while. She'd been too busy touching the rest of him.

"I'm going to have a shower and get dressed," she told him. "You should call Crowley and set something up for this morning. I want some more training."

She got up and padded to the bathroom, and he smiled, watching her go. He was glad she'd done that. If she hadn't taken action, they would have just stayed here, and he supposed she really should receive more training. Funny, even though he'd told her each time that Dean had called, she hadn't said anything about them going to the bunker. And he was glad. He really didn't feel like putting in any contact lenses or putting on an act right now. He'd have to try to curb his temper a bit, though. Crowley was of no use to them dead, and after the day and night they'd just had, Cas would be crazy to doubt her loyalty to him, or her fidelity.

He picked up the phone and called his Brother.

They were back in the warehouse, and Crowley was giving Gail surreptitious looks when Castiel was looking the other way. He couldn't believe how many marks she had on her body now, and that was only in the places that he could see. The bruises on her arms had turned into ugly welts, and she had angry-looking red abrasions on her neck and upper chest. She was walking slowly, almost limping, and he was no longer finding it so funny. How was she able to stand it? How was she able to stand Castiel now? Crowley looked at his Brother, and his Brother was smiling, not seeming the least bit concerned.

Gail had purposely chosen a top with a bit more of a sleeve, but she couldn't cover everything up, and she saw Crowley looking at her with a strange expression on his face. She didn't know why she had felt like she had to hide her condition from Crowley, anyway. Look who he was. But she just didn't want to deal with it, or with any snide comments he might have. She didn't know what the hell she was going to do if and when they ever went back to the bunker, though. Gail may be crazy now, but she wasn't stupid. They would be shocked by her appearance, and there would be a ton of questions that she wasn't prepared to dodge. Cas would come off looking like the bad guy, and they would make him angry. But she supposed they would have to go to the bunker soon, before the guys showed up at their door. Maybe she could cover up the visible areas with makeup, or something. She'd tell Cas to go easier if she thought it would do any good, but he was so aggressive now. And she let him be that way, because she knew he needed to be that way. And, if she was really honest with herself, she liked what he was doing to her. Sure, she could do without most of the pain; she wasn't a masochist, or anything. But she knew he couldn't help it, and he made her feel so good so often that she was willing to accept the pain as part of the package.

But Crowley kept looking at her, and she was getting annoyed. "What?" she snapped.

Crowley eyed her incredulously. "What do you mean, 'what'?" he said. "Don't you have any mirrors in that house of yours?"

Castiel turned around, looking at Crowley sharply. "Why do you persist in asking about things that don't concern you?" he asked Crowley coldly.

"Maybe you should be the one who's concerned," Crowley retorted. "How are you going to take her to that precious bunker of yours looking like that?"

Castiel frowned. He'd been wondering that, too.

"Maybe you should go a little easier on her," Crowley said to him.

Castiel strode up to his Brother, looking him in the eye. "That's between Gail and me, and she's very happy. I see to that. Me. You need to keep your nose out of our business, and your eyes off her body."

Gail was getting annoyed. They were talking about her as if she wasn't in the room again, and she and Cas had just gotten here and already he and Crowley were fighting.

"Cas is right, I am happy," Gail said, walking over to where they stood. "You two need to stop this. That's not what we're here for."

"So you're happy, are you?" Crowley said to Gail skeptically. "Looking like that?"

Gail could see Cas reaching for his blade, so she grabbed his hand and put it on her body instead. "Yes, I am," she murmured. She kissed him on the mouth, running her tongue around his lips, and Cas squeezed her, drawing her towards him. His hands moved under her top, and when her clothing lifted, Crowley's suspicions were confirmed. Her torso looked like a road map.

After a moment, Gail stepped back. Cas was getting carried away, slipping his fingers into her pants and pushing against her, but she still had enough self-control to realize this wasn't the time or the place. And certainly not in front of this audience. But she'd wanted to distract Cas enough so that he would stand down, and she'd also wanted to shut Crowley up. It was pretty bad when the King of Hell was pointing out the abuse your body had been through at the hands of your boyfriend. She reminded herself to find that funny sometime.

Cas was breathing heavily, and his eyes were lidded. He'd been about to do it, too; he didn't give a damn whether Crowley was in the room or not. Let him watch. Let him see how happy Cas made Gail. Then maybe he'd back off. He had been angry when Gail had stepped away. What the hell was she trying to pull? She couldn't get him all hot like that and then leave him hanging. Next time she tried that, he'd make sure she didn't go anywhere until they finished what she'd started.

Crowley couldn't believe what he was seeing from the two of them. How powerful was the stuff that Metatron had given Castiel? And Gail was behaving like this after only one dose of his Brother's blood? His eyes narrowed. He lunged for Gail and rolled up the sleeve of the arm that had been pristine when they'd last met. And there it was, amongst all the other marks that his Brother had inflicted on her: the pinprick of the needle.

He lifted his head to look at Castiel. "You dosed her again."

Cas had been about to go for his blade when he'd seen Crowley grab Gail, but his hand froze at his Brother's comment. "Yeah. So?" he retorted. But he was avoiding Crowley's gaze.

Crowley let Gail go, and he looked at the both of them. Now he got it. He and Gail had shared a couple of laughs, and his Brother had gotten pouty. Obviously, Castiel had been feeling insecure about his hold on Gail. He talked a big game about satisfying her sexually, but that would only hold her for so long. Castiel forgot that Crowley knew Gail, too. In fact, if he had a death wish, he could have reminded Cas that he and Gail had spent a lot of time discussing literature and current events way back when, and that Gail had seemed to enjoy a different kind of stimulation with Crowley. He had treated her like a gentleman, and his Brother, the former Angel, was treating her like a thug. Even with a second dose of Metatron's cocktail running through her veins, Crowley thought that Gail may not be beyond smacking Castiel in the face once she'd had enough of his abuse. But if he didn't lose his temper and kill her then, where would Gail go? The bunker? Or would she come to Crowley? And would he take her?

Even while he was thinking these things, Crowley realized he was being a hypocrite. When he and Gail had been enjoying their civilized conversation, he himself had been injecting her with his own Demon blood. So what made him any better? And she had ultimately rejected him and gone running into Castiel's arms. Apparently, she was still enjoying being in them, and if their grip had now tightened to the point of being painful, well, she had made her choice. Only his Brother could get away with this sort of treatment of her, though. He sighed. It figured. Castiel always won, didn't he? Crowley had always thought that was because his Brother represented Good, and everyone knew that Good was supposed to win out over Evil. But there was nothing good about Castiel now, and Gail was going to reach her breaking point soon.

"So, nothing," Crowley said to Castiel. And that was all he was going to say. If he wanted to do his Brother a favour, he could have told Cas that his measly two doses wouldn't work on her indefinitely. You had to continue the dosing on a regular basis, or it might wear off. He should know. But even though Crowley welcomed this transformation of the two Angels, he held himself back from telling Castiel this. He wasn't really sure why; he was a foul, evil being, wasn't he? But if Crowley told Castiel, Castiel would be dosing Gail every day, he was sure, and Gail would probably continue to let him. But Crowley owed Gail one for her help, however unwitting, with Metatron and the Demon Tablet. Maybe Crowley had put her through enough crap for a while. She and his Brother could sort themselves out, or not; he was staying out of it. He had the feeling that Sam and Dean and Frank had yet to weigh in on the matter, and Castiel could deal with them. Crowley smiled inwardly. He wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall for that, too.

But it was time to get to what they had all come here for. Crowley took out his blade and approached Gail with it. He held it by the blade end, though, showing her the hilt. He wasn't idiot enough to approach her holding it the usual way with Castiel watching him.

Cas didn't move at first; he'd seen the way that Crowley was holding the blade, and it was non-threatening. For a split second, he'd almost wished Crowley would have held the blade the other way around, just to give him an excuse. He had a lot of pent-up aggression to release, and what he did with Gail only went so far. He couldn't take his blade into the bedroom. Or he'd better not, anyway. Still, he needed to do some bloodletting soon, or else he would explode. Maybe he'd talk to Crowley about that, see what they could arrange.

Cas walked over to where they stood. Crowley was pointing to another marking. "See, there's my healing," he told them.

Castiel's brow furrowed. "That's different from ours. Gail, get yours out." He took his own blade out of his jacket and again they compared them side by side with Crowley's.

Gail couldn't read the language, of course, but she could see that hers and Cas's symbols differed from Crowley's. "Why is yours different?" she asked him.

Castiel had finished reading, and he straightened up, glaring at Crowley. "That's because we can only heal open wounds." He spoke to Gail, but he didn't take his eyes off his Brother. "HE'S got the ability to heal bruises and abrasions, as well." Castiel was jealous again. So far all he'd seen from the blades was the ability he himself no longer had, and Gail's Dr. Doolittle thing. He supposed that could come in handy at some point, as it had with Metatron, but still...Crowley had shown him two abilities so far that he himself lacked, and he was feeling resentful.

Also: "Why didn't you tell us that?" Castiel said angrily, looking at Crowley. "You've been bitching about Gail ever since we got here! Why don't you do something about it, then?"

Gail looked at Crowley hopefully. "That really would be nice," she told him. Then she and Cas could go to the bunker and not have to worry, and she could be pain-free for a day or so. Until Cas did it again, of course.

Crowley regarded her evenly, shrugging. "I'm the King of Hell. Since when do I do anything nice?"

Gail made a face. Really? "You said you owed me one," she reminded him.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is how you want to spend it?" he asked. If it were him, he'd power through the pain and save the favour for a big occasion. Like for when Castiel finally came after her with his blade.

"It would be a big help," Gail cajoled. "We need to go to the bunker before they get really suspicious."

Crowley could see that, and she certainly couldn't go like this. He looked at Castiel, who was nodding in agreement. "You realize I would have to put my hands on her body," Crowley told him, beginning to smirk. This could be fun.

Castiel's expression grew very dark, but then he sighed. "Yes. All right. Just this once, I will give you my permission," he said to Crowley.

His permission? What about my permission? Gail thought angrily. But she knew how healing worked, and she didn't want to waste time fighting about it.

Crowley stowed his blade, and he jerked his head at Castiel. "Give Gail your blade to hold. I don't want that thing in your hand while I'm doing this. The reason should be obvious."

Castiel frowned, but he handed his blade to Gail.

"Here," he said to her. "Let's just get this over with."

Crowley moved in closer to Gail, and he was smirking now. "You might want to turn around, Cas," he said slyly.

"I don't think so," Cas snapped. "Just do it, already."

Crowley looked Gail in the eye. "I'm going to have to put my hands under your clothes. I'll be as quick as I can."

She sighed, nodding.

He started with the areas that were exposed first, and it was working. She could see the marks disappearing, and the pain receded, then went away. Then he moved his hands quickly under her top.

"I can't see the affected areas," Crowley told them. "So I don't know where to go."

Castiel let out a breath. "Take it off, then."

It wasn't clear which of them he was talking to, but Gail figured it had better be her. So she pulled her top off over her head, giving Crowley access. He moved his hands over her torso, pausing when he got to her breasts. But they looked red and painful, and there were what appeared to be bite marks on them. So he went ahead and touched them too, and Gail closed her eyes, embarrassed. But what he was doing was making her feel better. It was kind of refreshing to feel a gentle touch for a change. Cas had started out that way, but he was too far gone now.

"Done," Crowley said softly, and Gail opened her eyes and put her top back on, looking down at herself as she did it. She was completely back to normal now, and she gave Crowley a quick smile of gratitude. Then she risked a look at Cas, and he looked back at her. His eyes were a dark purple now.

Crowley looked at Castiel, too. What about the rest of her? Cas considered just leaving things as they were. He really didn't want Crowley touching her below the waist. That was for him, and him alone.

But there was silent appeal in Gail's eyes. Cas may not care as much as he would have even a couple of days ago, but a part of him knew her pain was his fault and so he supposed he could allow it. If she asked nicely.

"What do you think, Gail?" he asked her coolly. "Should I allow it?"

Her eyes widened a little. Wow. He really meant it, too. He was going to make her plead to him for relief. Beg him to let the King of Hell touch her in her most intimate of places. And how would he react when Crowley did? This might be a double-edged sword, with potential to cut her no matter how she handled it. Maybe she should just forget it, suffer through it. But she could already picture them in the bedroom later. Cas was insatiable and so was she now, and the new pain on top of the pain she was already feeling would be like torture. At least he would be working with a clean slate. Jason flashed into her mind then. He'd said the same thing when he had healed her in the cabin in preparation for torturing her again. But she pushed that thought away quickly. How could she be thinking of Jason and Cas in the same context? Jason was a sadistic bastard, and Cas was...well, Cas loved her, and she loved what he did to her, regardless of the pain.

"Please, Cas," she pleaded. "I'll be a clean slate for you." Would be pick up on the wording? Was she trying to send him a message by putting it exactly that way?

Cas merely tilted his head to the side, appearing to consider. He hadn't thought of that; it was a good point. "All right," he said, then he frowned. "But you'd better be looking at me and thinking of me the whole time."

Crowley averted his head so he could roll his eyes. What did his Brother think was going to happen? He wasn't going to mess with Gail, he was going to heal her. Was Castiel really that insecure?

"I don't think I should do that," Gail said softly, smiling. "Then it might feel too good."

Cas's expression lightened immediately, and Crowley allowed himself a brief smile. She really knew how to handle his Brother, he had to give her that.

"Do it," Castiel said shortly.

Crowley was annoyed at his tone, but Gail was taking off her pants now and Crowley was distracted by the shocking sight. If her torso had been bad, which it had been, this was ten times worse. How was she even walking around?

He'd better get to it before Castiel went nuts. Crowley moved his hands over her hips, her thighs, and her calves. Then she turned around and he touched the back of her legs, then her buttocks.

Gail turned back around and he looked at her pelvic area, then at her. She sighed. "Please," she said, and opened her legs to him. She wouldn't be doing this if the pain there wasn't so bad, and that was the place where Cas spent the most time.

Crowley put his hands on her upper thighs, then he slipped one hand into her most intimate area. Oh God, she couldn't believe she was letting him do this. This was so wrong, on so many levels. She started to close her legs, but Crowley said, "Relax, sweetheart. Just another minute. The damage here is pretty extensive."

Gail looked at Cas. His expression was dark, and his eyes were so dark they were almost black now. But he smirked at what Crowley had said. Yes, it was extensive. And she cried out his name whenever he went there. So let Crowley have his momentary thrill. Gail would never be crying out HIS name.

She was starting to heal now, and as she did, she was starting to feel good. A little too good. If she moved even a little, even breathed, Cas would freak out though, so she willed herself to stay still. She reminded herself who was really touching her right now.

Then, mercifully, Crowley was done, and she was well again. "Thank you," she said to Crowley, avoiding his eyes. She grabbed her pants, putting them back on.

Castiel was staring at Crowley, who was careful to keep his expression neutral. But he smiled inwardly. For a moment, it had been him who was making Gail feel good, and they both knew it. Though she'd had the good sense not to show it. But no matter what happened in the future, no one could ever take that away from him.

They were all silent, a little uncomfortable to be around each other now. Gail couldn't stand the tension any more. She needed to get past what had just happened and focus everyone on what was really important.

"Metatron was an Original too, right?" she asked.

Both men looked at her. "Yes, he was," Crowley confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"What kind of powers did he have?" she asked them.

It had been an innocent, curious question. A subject-changer. But as Gail said it, she realized the question could be very important. Hadn't Cas told her that Jason was convinced that Metatron had done something to Cas in the cabin? If he had, that could explain why Cas was as bad as he was now. She was becoming increasingly convinced that there was a lot more than just a bit of Demon inside of him.

"With him, it's really hard to say," Crowley told her. "He was a bit of a braggart. I know he claimed to always know which being was in which vessel, but I think he was lying, or at least exaggerating. And he also stated that he knew who just about every being really was, inside, and that he could help them realize their true natures."

Gail was startled. Did this mean that Metatron had been under the impression that Cas's true nature was dark, and that he had done something to bring about the transformation? But why on earth would he ever think that Castiel had the potential to go dark? It was Metatron who was evil, and he always had been. Had he just been screwing around with Cas, and had Jason been, also?

"What happened to his blade?" Gail asked both men. They exchanged glances at that. They really didn't know. Metatron had had it in the cabin; he'd pulled it and threatened Gail with it, then she'd picked it up after Castiel stabbed Metatron to death. Then Cas had told her to give it to Jason, and Jason had taken it from her and fought Castiel with it. Castiel had disarmed Jason and the blade had fallen to the floor, and that was the last any of them remembered.

"Well, he didn't have it when I got him," Crowley said. "One of yours must have picked it up at the cabin. You'd better ask them about that. We should have it back."

"What do you mean, 'when you got him'?" Cas asked sharply. "He was an Original; shouldn't he be in the Netherworld?"

Oh, that's right, Crowley thought. Castiel had been too busy making a public display of himself with Gail to have overheard his conversation with Bobby.

"Normally, yes," Crowley said, "but Bobby let me have him."

"But he's escaped from Hell before!" Gail exclaimed, alarmed.

Crowley gave her an impatient look. "I'm aware," he said dryly. "That's why he's Lucifer's roomie now."

Two Originals locked up in a cage together, Castiel thought. It was a good thing only God Himself could open that cage. He didn't need that kind of competition.

"But you should really try to rescue that blade," Crowley said to Castiel. "Then we can check it and see."

"What difference could it make now?" Cas snapped. "Metatron is out of play. Who cares what powers he used to have?" He was a little suspicious as to why Gail was asking about Metatron's powers, anyway. Was she just curious, or was she looking to attach some significance to what Jason had said? He'd told her that Jason had had no information of any importance. And even if it turned out there was more to it, he'd tell her to leave it alone. He liked the way he was now; it didn't matter to him what Metatron may or may not have done. And why did Crowley care so much about the stupid blade, anyway?

Crowley rolled his eyes. His Brother was getting petulant again. "All right, we'll leave that alone for now," he said to them. "Let's have your blades out again. We'll see what else is there."

Cas and Gail produced their blades and Crowley bent down, examining them. "Here's one you both have in common," he remarked, pointing to the identical markings on both of their blades. "You can both send humans away to a different location."

Gail smiled, remembering the trouble she'd had with that one at first. She'd once sent Sam and Dean a block away, when she'd meant to send them to the motel where they were staying at the time.

But Cas was impatient. "Why don't you tell us something we don't know?"

Crowley regarded him coolly. "You know, we don't have to do this at all. No one's forcing you to be here."

Cas was silent. He was frustrated, but Crowley was right. He remembered that his Brother could only be pushed so far until he dug his heels in, and Cas had been fairly abrasive. So he made himself take a deep breath.

"You're right," Gail said, "and we appreciate your help."

Crowley smiled at her. "There, you see? That's how you ask for something. Nice to see one of you still has some manners."

Castiel was looking murderous now, but Crowley had just been playing with him. Crowley was here because he wanted to be. He had plans for these two. Crowley knew from the markings on their blades that each of them had prodigious powers, some which they had no knowledge, and he was grooming them. Castiel had come such a long way in such a short period of time. If Crowley and Gail could just harness that temper of his, Crowley could use Cas and his powers in a variety of interesting ways. Gail was helping in that regard by offering herself up to his Brother, taking the edge off, at considerable sacrifice to herself and her body. But Crowley could sense some reluctance in her to fully commit to being evil. He shrugged inwardly. Evil was only a point of view, wasn't it? Who was the more evil in this room at the moment, the King of Hell or the former Angel who had fallen so far so fast that he was now a bloodthirsty monster who was cruelly abusing the woman who he claimed to love above all else? Crowley knew which he'd pick, if asked.

And a considerable part of Crowley increasingly wanted to see Gail haul off and smack his Brother in the face the next time Cas came at her with those eyes and those hands. Where was the spirit he was used to seeing from her? She must really be besotted with Castiel to let him use her this way. Had the two Angels formed such a bond that she was willing to let what Cas had become drag her down into Hell with him?

Gail was smiling at what Crowley had said about having manners. She knew how Cas was now, but she also knew a little sugar went a long way. If she could just keep Cas's temper in check, they might learn a few things. But it was becoming increasingly exhausting having to worry about what might set him off. Of course, Crowley wasn't helping matters. She knew how he liked his little games.

"Show us another," she said to Crowley, smiling. "Please."

He smiled back. "Since you asked so nicely, I will."

"Just a minute," Cas said. They both looked at him. What now?

"I want to talk to you in private for a moment," Cas said to Crowley.

Gail froze. Oh, that was probably not a good idea.

"What for?" Crowley said suspiciously.

"Private from me?" Gail said lightly, trying not to show her panic. "I didn't think you had anything private from me any more."

Cas looked at her coolly. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it."

Here it came, Crowley thought. She was going to do it, and he was going to get to watch. Maybe she'd even stab his Brother with her blade. Though he was sure it probably wouldn't work any more. It was an Angel blade, after all.

Gail's eyes narrowed. Cas had never spoken to her like that before. Was he still angry about Crowley having healed her, and the way he'd had to do it? But he'd said it was all right at the time, and she was glad not to be in any pain at the moment. He probably should have turned around so he didn't have to see Crowley's hands moving all over her body. But there was nothing she could do about it now. Next time she'd just try to grin and bear the pain if this was the alternative, unless they were due to go to the bunker.

She had excused his bad behaviour again by rationalizing. Gail pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Crowley sighed, disappointed. "All right, let's go outside," he said to Cas. "I could use a breath of fresh air, anyway." And he wanted to get as far away from Gail and her doe eyes as possible; it was making him sick to his stomach.

They walked outside. The weather was getting quite cool now, and as the men faced each other, their breath created plumes of steam in the air.

"What is it, Castiel?" Crowley said warily.

"I'd like to work out an...arrangement," Cas replied.

Crowley raised an eyebrow. "What kind of arrangement?"

Cas was frowning. "I need...an outlet. For certain aggressions."

Crowley smirked. "I thought Gail was providing that."

"Not that kind," Cas snapped. "I need to use my blade."

Crowley nodded. He should have figured as much. His Brother had always had the potential for great violence; that was one reason the King of Hell was cultivating him. Sex was one thing; bloodletting was another. He'd better come up with a distraction for Castiel, or the next time he saw Gail, she could be bleeding, as well.

"I thought that Jason was fitting the bill in that regard," Crowley said.

Cas shook his head. "No, he's too closely monitored. I need a freer hand."

As Crowley considered that, he noticed a man approaching them out of the corner of his eye. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, preparing to reach for his blade. He'd stowed it there before coming outside with Castiel. He didn't think Cas had intended to attack him, but better safe than sorry.

He touched Castiel's arm, nodding at the approaching figure. Cas took out his blade too, and he moved to stand beside Crowley.

As the man drew near, they could see that he appeared to be a human. He was unshaven and bleary-eyed, wearing ragged clothes, and stumbling. A homeless man, apparently. He had a bottle in his hand. He stopped and took a drink from it, then squinted into it and threw the empty bottle against the side of the warehouse, smashing it.

Crowley rolled his eyes. Just an old drunk. They should just kill him now, put him out of his misery. He advanced on the man, starting to raise his blade, but Castiel put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Alexander?" Castiel said.

Alexander looked at the man who had spoken his name. "Castiel?"

Crowley looked from Cas to Alexander and back again. While he had not been privy to the meeting in Heaven where Castiel had dealt with the Upper Echelon board members, he could pretty much figure it out, of course. And he was amused.

"Don't tell me," he said. "Am I about to get my second board member?"

"I think you might be," Castiel said, smiling slowly.

Gail was pacing back and forth impatiently. She was uneasy about the two of them out there, talking without her. What were they talking about? She should have insisted on going with them if they wanted to go outside. And they both had their blades with them. If things were to escalate, there was no telling what might happen.

When Gail heard the sound of the bottle smashing against the warehouse, she figured she'd better get out there. Too bad if Cas was mad about it; she'd calm him down when they got home.

She opened the door to a curious scene. Cas was standing facing a person who appeared to be a homeless human man, and Crowley was standing to the side, smiling broadly.

Gail peered at the man Cas was talking to. He looked vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place him.

"Who is that?" she asked softly, approaching Crowley.

"Why, that's your old friend, Alexander," Crowley said lightly. "It appears as though Earth has not been good to him."

Alexander! Gail was astonished. Now that she looked closer, she could see it, but he was in really rough shape. She found herself matching Crowley's smile. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, she thought sarcastically. Well, maybe Xavier.

"You're not looking too well, Alexander," Cas said to the former board member. He was also smiling. He couldn't believe it. This was too sweet.

"You did this to me, Castiel," Alexander slurred. "This is all your fault."

"Really?" Cas said. He laughed harshly. The nerve of this guy. Everything he and the board had put Cas through, and Gail too, and he had the gall to stand there and blame Cas? So being a human was hard? Well, there was a news flash. Cas had been human, and though he had struggled with it at times, he hadn't turned into a worthless alcoholic.

"Where's your buddy Xavier?" Cas asked Alexander.

"I don't know," Alexander replied. "We were together for a while at the shelter, then one morning I woke up and he wasn't there."

Too bad, Cas thought. Two birds with one stone, and all that. Maybe he'd ask Crowley if there was any way to locate Xavier after he was done with Alexander.

"Do you have any money?" Alexander asked him hopefully. He needed another bottle to get through the rest of the day before he could go back to the shelter. He had come here looking for something he could steal or try to salvage, to try to get a bit of money. When he and Xavier had arrived here on Earth, they'd had no idea how to survive as humans, and now Alexander had given up trying.

Almost against her will, Gail started to feel a little sorry for Alexander. He was so pathetic now. But she hadn't forgotten that he had been one of the Angels who had voted death for Castiel at the tribunal, and they had forced her to watch his execution. Crowley had come through for them then, bringing Cas back to life, but in doing so, he had infused Cas with his own Demon essence. If the board had spared Castiel's life, he never would have needed to have been revived by Crowley, and they wouldn't be standing here now. She and Cas would both still be Angels, and Gail wouldn't now be worrying about how bad Cas was still going to get, or how much more she would be able to take from him.

So when Cas plunged his blade into Alexander as a response, she wasn't one bit surprised, nor was she sorry.

Cas kept stabbing and stabbing Alexander, as Crowley looked on dispassionately. But Gail finally had to avert her eyes. She had seen Castiel kill before, of course, but he had always done so quickly and efficiently, and always in self-defense, or when he was defending her. Even at the cabin, when he had stabbed Metatron multiple times, she could understand that. He was just making sure. And she'd excused his torture of Jason as justifiable, in a way; Lord knew Jason had tortured her enough times. But Cas was in a frenzy now, and he was someone she didn't even recognize any more.

Chapter 3 - A Stranger's Eyes

As Alexander had been a human, his soul had gone immediately to Hell, and Crowley was gleefully greeting him there now. He already had Lanister; maybe one day he'd have the set. He'd have to see if he could locate the others and sic his Brother on them. That shouldn't be too difficult, not after he had seen Castiel in action back at the warehouse. Crowley had been both amazed and impressed at the decisiveness and ferocity with which Castiel had dispatched Alexander from the earth. No waffling, no compassion as there might have been even a week or so ago. He was going to be a useful little pit bull, if Gail could keep him on the leash.

They were back at the house, and Cas had just come out of the shower. He'd needed one, too; he'd been practically covered head to toe in Alexander's blood.

Cas dropped his bloody clothes on the floor in the pile with the others.

"I'm going to run out of clothes soon," he said cheerfully.

"I could do a wash," Gail offered.

He turned around to look at her. "Good idea," he said.

She started to rise from the bed, but Cas held up his hand. "Not right now. You know what I want to do now."

Gail said nothing. Yes, she knew. He'd been the same way when he got back from Heaven after torturing Jason. He hadn't bothered to dress after showering, and she could see how excited he was. A tiny part of her regretted that she'd just been healed; maybe he'd go a bit easier on her if she still had all the marks on her body that she'd had this morning. But at least she wasn't in any pain now. And she had laundry to do, so she had an excuse to get up and leave the room at some point. Gail had clothes that needed to be washed too. She thought she'd suggest going to the bunker tomorrow, before too much more time passed. In a way, she was surprised that Sam and Frank and Dean hadn't shown up at their door already. But she and Cas couldn't wait any longer. Dean had called several more times, and they had never returned his call.

As Cas came over to the bed, she blurted out, "We'd better call Dean back."

Cas frowned. "He can wait." He was standing in front of her now, looking down at her expectantly.

"They're going to show up here any time now," she told him. "In fact, I'm surprised they haven't already."

He considered this. He supposed she was right. Better to go there than to have them show up here unannounced.

"OK, I'll call him," Cas said. "But first - " He grabbed her by the hair and brought her head to him, and once she had taken the edge off a bit, he lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around him. As Crowley had thought, the infection in Gail's blood was waning just as Cas's was growing, but despite everything that had happened, she still loved him, and he could still make her feel amazing. So she lost herself in the moment and eventually, she was crying out his name, as always. Cas was gripping her tightly, but trying not to crush her. She'd just been healed, and he didn't want her to be sporting too many marks when they had to go to the bunker, at least not in places that the men might see.

A few minutes later they were laying side by side, and Cas leaned over her and snatched his cell phone off the nightstand. "Might as well get this over with," he said.

Gail started to get up, thinking she'd start the laundry while he was talking to Dean, but he grabbed her arm. "Stay here," he said, frowning. He pulled her back down and put his arm around her, holding her there.

"Dean!" Cas said into the phone. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten back to you for a while. We've been spending a lot of time in Heaven."

He was lying so smoothly, Gail thought. Well, they'd always said that Demons were notorious liars, and here was the proof.

Cas listened to Dean for a moment, then he said, "We were just talking about that. How would you like a visit tomorrow morning? We'll bring the doughnuts if you make the coffee." He listened for another moment, then laughed. "I'll tell her." Another pause, then Cas said, "Sure, she's right here. I'll put her on."

He handed Gail the phone. "Frank wants to talk to you." He rolled his eyes. "You know what to say."

"Gail?" Frank's voice. "Is everything OK?"

"Sure, Frank." She kept her voice light. "We've just been spending a lot of time in Heaven. But we told them we need tomorrow off, to come and see you guys." Cas nodded. Good girl.

"It's about time," Frank said. "I was about to come there."

"To Heaven?" she quipped.

"No, to the house," he retorted. She sounded like herself, anyway, Frank thought. Always the smartass.

"I don't know why you would do that," she said, maintaining her casual tone. "We've been up in Heaven most of the time. We wouldn't have been here anyway."

Cas was kissing her body now, and he was working his way down.

"I just miss you," Frank was saying. "I'll probably be heading out on the road soon, and I'd like to see you before I go."

Cas was opening her legs now, and he started using his tongue. Gail felt a shiver.

"Well, we'll be there tomorrow," Gail said to Frank. Wow, she'd better get off the phone, and quickly, before she started making sounds that no brother should ever hear coming from his sister. "I'd better go, I have a laundry to do."

Cas looked up at her. "Keep talking to him," he said. Then he resumed what he'd been doing, and her breath caught.

"I can't," she said to Cas. A whimper escaped her, and she covered the phone quickly.

"What was that?" Frank said.

Cas's grip tightened on her until it became painful. "Stay on the phone until I tell you to hang up," he instructed. His fingers were hurting her, but God help her, his tongue was working its magic. This was bad. It was so bad. It was the worst thing he had ever done, and she was letting him do it.

"Nothing," she said to Frank. She didn't trust herself to say anything more. She was starting to breathe heavily now, and soon it would become evident to Frank what was going on. Why didn't she just hang up anyway? She looked down at Cas, appealing to him with her eyes. His eyes were dark purple now. "Not until I say so," he told her.

Oh, God, she was losing it. Frank was saying, "What's going on, Gail? Why do you sound so weird? Talk to me!"

But she couldn't talk. "Cas..." was all she could say. He lifted his head. "All right. Tell him you'll see him tomorrow. Then you can hang up." He was smiling.

"I've gotta go, Frank, I'll see you tomorrow," Gail breathed into the phone. Then she punched End Call and dropped the phone on the bed.

"Good girl," Cas murmured, and went back to what he'd been doing. Seconds later, she was crying out his name, over and over, telling him she loved him.

He moved on top of her, slipping into her, and he kissed her roughly on the mouth. "I love it when you do that," he told her. "And I love it when you do as I ask."

What he was doing was making her body feel good, but even as she wrapped her legs around him, Gail's mind was disturbed. What exactly did he mean by that? What was their relationship turning into? Before, when he'd instructed her like that in bed, it had been just between the two of them, and she had liked it. But to make her behave that way with her brother on the phone was quite another matter. What was he going to make her do next? And why was she doing it, anyway? Because she loved him? Or because she was afraid of him?

Gail showered in the morning, putting on fresh clothes that she'd washed the night before. She'd had to put Cas's clothes in twice to get all the blood out, but they had come clean, and she had hung everything back in the closet. She bagged up the clothes he'd torn off them that one night. She'd throw them away when she had a chance.

She'd looked at herself in the mirror before showering. Though not as bad as before, there were bruises starting to come in again, and a few scrapes and abrasions. Most were in places that would be covered up by her clothes. There was one bruise on her arm near her wrist, but she wasn't too worried about it; people did bruise from time to time. She did have a couple of red marks on her neck, but she could probably pass that off as a rash, or say she'd scratched an itch too hard. They'd never see the welts on her back and stomach, or the abrasions on her thighs. Nothing to worry about on that score.

Cas was putting in the contact lenses when she walked into the bedroom. She'd made sure to dress in the bathroom so there wouldn't be any cause for procrastination in the form of temptation. Not that that had ever stopped them before.

She was relieved to see that Cas was dressed too. Although nothing could be ruled out, it looked like he was ready to go.

He turned around and looked at her appraisingly. Good. He hadn't consciously tried to keep from marking her last night, but what marks there were, the clothes covered well.

"Ready to go?" he asked her.

"Ready," Gail answered.

He grabbed her hand.

"You forgot the doughnuts," Dean quipped.

Cas looked at him, puzzled.

"Yesterday you said...Ah, never mind," Dean said, grinning. He was just happy to see them.

"What's happening in Heaven?" Sam said, pouring himself a coffee and giving Dean a refill.

"Nothing much," Cas said casually.

"Where's Frank?" Gail asked them. A pair of arms encircled her from behind. "Ouch!" she exclaimed. The momentary squeeze from Frank's hug had taken her by surprise, and he had inadvertently pressed on one of her more injured areas.

"'Ouch'? What do you mean, 'ouch'?" Frank teased. "I thought you were tougher than that now." He kissed her on the cheek. "Hi'ya, kiddo." Frank clapped Cas on the shoulder. "Hey, Cas, how's it going?"

"It's going well, Frank," Cas smiled. "It's going very well."

Frank crossed the kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee, then he looked at Gail, waving the decanter. "Gail?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up, Dean," she retorted.

"Me? What did I do?" Dean protested.

"You put him up to that, didn't you?" Gail said, trying not to smile.

"Totally," Dean said, smirking.

Gail leaned down and kissed Dean on the forehead. "You're a pain in my ass. Don't ever change," she told him. Dean's smile turned genuine. He and Sam had missed their friends.

"Actually, we're glad you came by today," Sam told her and Cas. "We're heading out tomorrow on a case."

"You and Dean?" Cas asked.

"Way to go, Captain Obvious," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "No, actually, Sammy's taking the Easter bunny, and I'm taking Santa Claus. We thought it might be a nice change of pace."

"You'd better have Santa back in a week, though," Frank joked, taking a seat across from Dean.

Gail was startled. A week? What was the date? It couldn't be Christmas coming up again already, could it? As Angels, they hadn't paid much attention to specific dates. Her heart sank. Well, they certainly weren't Angels any more. So what did Christmas matter to them now? Had it really been almost a year since she and Castiel had had that joyful reunion after she had escaped from Crowley's den? She felt sick to her stomach. Look what they'd become. And here they were, lying to their best friends and her brother, and running around with Crowley behind their backs.

"So, what happened last night?" Frank asked her. "Washing machine overflow, or something?"

She looked at him blankly, then she remembered. What could she say about that? Gail looked at Cas, who was smiling at her. He was reliving the memory. If these guys only knew how she behaved when he had her alone. He'd almost made her stay on the phone, just so he could see the look on her brother's face today. And Sam and Dean thought she was so innocent. Of course, they thought he was still an Angel, too. He was glad they were going on the road for a while.

"Tell him, Gail," Cas said. "Tell him why you had to get off the phone so suddenly."

Gail was panicked. She had nothing to say, no excuse to offer.

"She's shy," Cas said, his smile growing wider. He took her hand, but held it under the table, stroking her palm with one finger. "I guess I'll have to tell you, Frank."

The men looked at him, puzzled. What was he talking about?

Gail looked at Cas warily. He wasn't really going to tell them, was he? If he did, she'd have to pop out of there; there was no way she would ever be able to face these guys again. But it was her fault, too. She had obeyed him, hadn't she? What the hell was wrong with her?

"Cat got your tongue?" Cas smirked. Gail held her breath.

Then he let her off the hook. "Gail's been invited to sit on the new board in Heaven," Cas told them. "The first female board member, ever. I'm so proud of her."

God, he was good. While he hadn't actually lied, per se, she was astonished by his audacity. "She'd gotten the call on Angel Radio while she was on the phone with you."

"Hey, congratulations, Gail," Sam said, raising his cup of coffee to her in salute. "A blow for womens' rights."

"That's great," Frank enthused. "My sister, Angel Executive. Too bad I can't tell anyone." He grinned. "You're not gonna go all politician on me now, are you?"

"If you mean am I going to answer all your questions evasively from now on, then yeah, probably," Gail quipped. Frank laughed, but her joke had hit a little too close to home, and Gail's smile faded quickly.

"What about you, Cas?" Dean asked him.

"What about me, what?" Cas asked innocently.

"Didn't they ask you to be on the board, too?" Dean persisted.

"Yes, of course they did," Cas replied. He shrugged. "But I don't know if I'll accept. We all know who the smart one is in this relationship." He looked at Gail, smiling again.

"Damn right, and don't you forget it," she said, and the men laughed. But Gail wasn't finding too much to laugh about right now. Who was really the smart one in the relationship? The one with the fake eyes and the fake smile and the glib lies? Or the one who was hiding his marks and toeing his line?

"What about you, Frank?" Cas asked him. "What will you be doing?"

Frank sighed, looking at Gail. He'd really been hoping to spend a bit more time with her, and the only time they'd had any one-on-one time since he'd gotten back was that night they'd had the fight about Cas, and she'd told him she wished he had never come back. Sam and Dean had convinced Frank she didn't mean it, but it still hurt. He guessed he had to accept that she had moved on from him. She and Cas were in a serious relationship, and they were Angels, not humans. And now that he knew she had an important role in Heaven, Frank supposed he had to let her go and get on with his own life. It wasn't as if they'd never see each other again. They were both very close to the Winchesters now, and this bunker would always be like a homing beacon. Frank was sure he would get to know Cas better in the coming months and years, and grow to love him as much as all the others seemed to.

"I'll be heading out, too," Frank told Cas. "These guys have farmed me out a case, and I've been sitting around long enough. In fact, I'm going to the dealership this morning to pick up my new car. Courtesy of you, Cas." He smiled, then looked at Gail. "Hey, want to come for a ride? I'll even buy you lu-" Oh. Right.

Gail laughed merrily, the first genuine laugh she'd had in days. "It's OK, it's the thought that counts," she told him. "You can buy yourself lunch. Maybe buy me a milkshake to play with. I can draw pictures on the table with my straw or something. It's a date."

The siblings smiled at each other, then Cas said, "You didn't ask me."

Gail turned her head slowly to look at him. What exactly did he mean by that, now? Was he hurt that they hadn't asked him to come along? Surely he didn't mean she was supposed to ask for his permission? If that's what he meant, they were going to have a problem, purple eyes or not.

"Excuse us, guys," Gail said. She took Cas's hand and winked them outside.

"What was that?" she asked him.

He seemed confused. "What was what?"

Gail let out a breath. Really? "What do you mean, we didn't ask you? You heard Frank; he's about to leave, and I've barely seen him since he got back."

"Since I brought him back," Cas pointed out.

She sighed. "Yes, Cas, and I'll be eternally grateful to you for that. I just want one more ride with my brother, just the two of us, before I have to let him go. And I'm going to have it. I'm telling you, not asking you."

Cas's brow furrowed. He hadn't been meaning to suggest...had he? He didn't really know why he'd said what he said back there. Of course Gail should go with her brother.

"OK, Gail, all right," he said mildly.

For a second there, he was like the old Castiel, and she threw her arms around him. She really did still love him. His arms encircled her, hugging her back, and tears prickled her eyes as he said, "I'm sorry, Gail. I don't know what's wrong with me."

She pulled out of the embrace and touched his face. He put his hand over hers and held it there, but his touch was gentle. This might be her chance to appeal to his true nature, the one underneath the thick layer of poison. If he could be like this with her, it must still be there.

"We both know what's wrong with you, Cas," she said softly. "Metatron did something to you at the cabin, and we have to find out what, and how to fix it."

For a moment, Castiel said nothing, just looked at her. She took this as a hopeful sign. He'd protested immediately when she'd brought up the subject before, saying he liked the way he was now. Bu did he, really?

Gail stepped away from him and pulled up her top so that he could see the marks on her stomach. "Is this who you are, Cas?" she appealed to him.

Cas was fighting with himself, trying to push away the anger the poison in his system was making him feel. What exactly was she trying to say to him? That he was abusing her? Aren't you? the sliver of Angel whispered. Look at her. His head was muddled, his thoughts confused. She said she liked it. Yes, but who was asking her to say that? Who kept asking her for reassurances of love and loyalty? His blood ran cold. He'd been a monster to her, and he was going to lose her if he kept treating her this way. Maybe she was planning to leave him this morning, run off with her brother. Maybe that was why they hadn't wanted him to come.

But Cas couldn't hold back the tide. The poison in his blood came rushing back, and he was angry. Frank had better not try to take her away from him. Cas had brought him out of Hell, and he could send him back there in a heartbeat. He couldn't entertain the thought that Gail might want to leave him of her own accord. He knew what she liked, and he made her very happy. She was here with him now, wasn't she? He was glad the humans were leaving town. Without Frank and Sam and Dean around, making Gail feel confused and conflicted, she would be all his. Crowley could heal her at any time. She loved what Cas did to her, and they both knew it.

He grabbed Gail roughly and kissed her, using his tongue. His hands went under her top, then into her pants, and though she couldn't help but respond, she knew she had lost.

He was stroking her. "You like it," he said in her ear. "Tell me you like it."

She did like it. God help her. God help them both. Soon she was going to have to decide between this and her self-respect, but not right now. Not when his tongue was in her mouth and his fingers were doing that.

Cas stopped what he had been doing and looked at her, and she could almost see the purple behind the blue contacts in his eyes. "Tell me," he said.

And she needed him to continue, so she said, "I like it, Cas. I love you."

He smiled, "All right, then." His fingers resumed their motion, and she started to whimper. "Cas," she breathed. "Hold on," he said, undoing his pants with his other hand. He put her hand on him and then they were moving together. Gail closed her eyes, going with the feeling. How could something and someone who made her feel this good every time be bad? It just didn't make any sense, and it wasn't fair. After all the crap they'd suffered through over the past year, they deserved to be happy together, didn't they? But she was beginning to realize that feeling pleasure and feeling happy were two distinctly different things, sometimes.

A few minutes later, Cas and Gail popped back into the bunker and Cas reached around behind his back, pulling out a box of doughnuts. "Surprise," he said to Dean. "See, I didn't forget." He had winked them over to the local doughnut shop after he and Gail had pleasured each other. They'd needed an excuse for having been gone so long.

"Perfect!" Dean said, his eyes lighting up. "Sammy just put on another pot."

"We were wondering why you were gone so long," Sam said.

"Gail reminded me of my promise," Cas said easily, putting the box of doughnuts on the table. He looked at her. "And I reminded her of hers."

Gail's heart sank. She knew what he was really talking about. Could she go back on her promise to stay with him, no matter how dark he was becoming? Did she want to?

Frank grabbed a doughnut. "Thanks, Cas," he said, taking a big bite. "Ready to go?" he said to Gail, around a mouthful of doughnut. Despite how she felt, Gail had to smile. Clearly, her brother had been hanging around Dean too long.

"Yeah, let's go," she said to Frank. She kissed Cas on the cheek. "We'll see you later," Gail said to him. He slipped his arm around her, giving her a brief squeeze. "Have fun," he said. He leaned in close to her ear. "Remember your promise. And come back soon. I don't want to have to go looking for you."

Gail looked at him. What was that supposed to mean, now? Was that some kind of a threat? She knew he'd turned dark again just because of the way that he'd behaved outside, and she had let herself get carried away with him yet again, because a part of her was dark now, too. But she must be misinterpreting what he was saying. He loved her, and he would never hurt her.

"See you later, Cas," Frank said, and Cas released his grip on Gail. She'd make sure her brother brought her back. She'd gotten the message.

A few hours later, brother and sister were sitting in a booth at a diner. Frank was scarfing down a burger and fries, and he'd ordered a chocolate milkshake for each of them.

"It feels weird to be eating this without you sneaking a couple of my fries and then insisting you don't want any," Frank said, smiling.

Gail rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too. It was true; she used to do that all the time. She was playing with the straw, stirring her milkshake. She'd ventured a couple of sips, but the taste was so strong that she'd had to stop.

"I miss eating sometimes," she told him. "I miss sleeping, too."

"So if you guys don't eat and you don't sleep, what do you do all day and all night?" Frank asked her.

She'd been in the midst of trying one more sip, and she nearly choked. Wow. If he only knew. Oh, having sex just about non-stop and cozying up to our best friend, the King of Hell. You know, the usual.

"Are you OK?" he asked as she sputtered.

"Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe," Gail told him. She grabbed a couple of napkins and wiped her mouth, pushing the milkshake away. "I guess there's a reason we don't do this," she said, smiling ruefully. "I'm clearly out of practice."

Frank looked at her fondly. They'd had a good morning. It was a crisp, sunny day, and he'd taken her for a drive in his new car. They'd been playing tunes on the radio, looking at the scenery, and talking. Just like the old days. She'd told him she was happy, and she seemed pretty much like the human sister he remembered. But a couple of times when he'd glanced over at her, she'd looked sad and lost in thought.

"Are you OK, Gail?" Frank asked her again.

"Yeah, I told you, it just went down the wrong way," she said.

He grabbed her hand across the table. "That's not what I meant. Are you OK?" he repeated.

Gail sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine, Frank." She didn't elaborate, because she didn't know what to say. They'd had a good time together this morning, and he was leaving tomorrow. She didn't want to sit here and lie to his face.

Frank looked down at her hand and saw the bruise near her wrist. "What happened there?" he asked, nodding at the bruise.

She withdrew her hand. "Nothing," she said. "I don't know how I got it. I must have bumped it on something."

He was still looking at her, and Gail saw his eyes go to her neck. "And what's that, there?" he asked.

"What? Where?" Gail said, trying to act as if she didn't know. Damn, the lighting was bright in this place. She should have suggested they go someplace else.

"Your neck. It looks all red."

"Does it?" she said. "I don't know, I must have scratched it or something."

Frank continued to gaze at her, and Gail was starting to feel uncomfortable. Did he believe her?

Then he shrugged and picked up his milkshake, draining it. "Don't you guys just heal yourselves?" he asked, smiling.

"It doesn't work like that," she told him, relieved he was letting it go. "We can't heal ourselves, only others. And only C-" She stopped herself, horrified. She'd been just about to tell him that only Crowley could heal bruises and abrasions! Wow, that had been a close one. "Crowley" was the ultimate C-word in their family, even worse than the usual one.

"Only what?" Frank prompted her.

Gail thought fast. "Only Cas can heal me right now," she said quickly, "but he can only heal open wounds, not this kind of stuff. So don't come running to us for every little boo-boo." She made herself smile. Phew. That had been a close one.

Frank drove them back to the bunker after lunch and he parked in the garage next to the Impala. There was no one in the kitchen. As they walked down the hall towards the library area, they heard voices coming from the training room, so they stopped and Gail pushed open the door.

Sam and Dean and Cas were there, and there was a wide array of weapons laid out on the table at the end of the room.

"What are you guys doing?" Frank asked. He walked up to the table, admiring the weapons.

Cas had looked up as soon as they entered the room, and he gave them what appeared to be a genuine smile. And it probably was. Truthfully, he was pretty relieved. A not inconsiderable part of him had thought that he'd never see her again.

Gail liked to see that smile from him. If that was the only kind of smile he wore, she could stay with him forever. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "What ARE you guys doing?" she asked, echoing Frank's question.

"Inventory," Dean said, laying a shotgun down on the table.

Frank saw an Angel blade on the table, and he picked it up, turning it over in his hands. "Here's one I don't have," he said. He looked at Gail and Cas, grinning. "In case either of you pisses me off."

"Oh, har, har," Gail said, making a face. In truth, she wondered if one of those would even work on her and Cas any more. After all, they only killed Angels, didn't they?

"Why don't you try it out?" Cas asked casually.

Frank smiled. "I'll be the one making the jokes around here."

"No, I'm serious," Cas said, a sly smile creeping across his face. "Your sister's been complaining for quite a while now that she's rusty. Why don't you try her out? Work out whatever sibling rivalries you may have."

Now Frank knew he was joking. Dean and Sam had told Frank that Cas had a quirky sense of humour sometimes. So he played along. "Hey, it didn't feel like she was so rusty when she killed me," he joked back. Silence. Even Gail was shocked; she would not have even dreamed he'd go there. Frank looked around the room. "I can just about hear the crickets. Too soon?"

"Oh, my God, Frank," Gail said, rolling her eyes. But she couldn't help but laugh. "That was horrible. Now I'll have to kick your ass." She poked him in the side with her finger a couple of times, playfully egging him on. He tried to poke her back, but she sidestepped him. She still had those welts in her midsection, and if he poked one of those, it was going to be very painful. In fact, she didn't even know if she should play around at all, but it might be kind of fun to train with Frank for a few minutes, show him what she'd learned and that she could take care of herself now.

"Well, if you put it that way..." Frank said, smiling. He grabbed a fake knife from the table. "But I'm not using a real blade. I might need you around one day to heal me."

"Wuss," she grumbled good-naturedly. She took a fake knife from the table, too. Either she or Cas could heal Frank if she stuck him, but his joke about her killing him in the den had stung, and they were just going to play, after all.

Gail saw Cas frown out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. If he was trying to stir something up, he was barking up the wrong tree.

Frank assumed a fight stance in the middle of the room, and Gail circled him. "I'll give you the first shot," Frank said, grinning. It was amusing to him to see his sister with a knife, even if it was a fake one. The only knife he'd ever seen her hold was the one to cut her meat. "Come on, let's see what you've got," he teased her.

"Okie-dokie," she said, matching his tone. She approached him from the left, but suddenly she moved right, and touched his shoulder with the fake knife. "Gotcha," she said, smiling.

"Okay, smartass," he said. "I made it easy for you."

"Really?" she teased. "Okay then, let's see how you feel about this." She reached down and applied a pressure point hold to his wrist, making him drop his knife. "Sam taught me that," she said, grinning at Sam. The brothers looked like they were enjoying this, and Sam gave her a salute. She took a quick look at Cas. He was watching, but his expression was neutral.

Frank reached down to pick up the knife while she was looking at Sam and tried to grab her, but she sidestepped him and raised her knee as if to kick him in the crotch. "That one, I learned from Dean," she quipped. Frank laughed. "Why does that not surprise me?" he said, looking at Dean. Dean smirked and gave Frank the finger.

Cas let out a breath. "If you two aren't going to take this seriously, I don't know why you bother," he said. He grabbed a knife off the table. "Here, Gail. You need a real test." He moved to the centre of the floor. "Mind if I cut in?" he said to Frank sardonically.

Frank was a bit taken aback, but he put it down to Cas's weird sense of humour. He knew how protective Cas was of Gail; maybe he just wanted her to stay sharp, make sure she could really defend herself if need be. Not that it looked to him like she was that rusty; Frank had been impressed by what she'd shown him. Of course, Cas was right, though; he hadn't really been taking it seriously.

"Give Gail a blade, Frank," Cas said, still smiling.

Frank looked at him, puzzled. Surely he wasn't talking about the Angel blade?

Cas was annoyed at Frank's expression. What had they just been talking about? But he tried to remain calm. "The Angel blade, Frank."

"Why would you want her to have that?" Sam asked. He was as puzzled as Frank was. Why would they need an Angel blade in a simulated fight? He remembered when they had been training Gail way back when, they had been reluctant to graduate to real weapons. She had a fake knife now; maybe Cas just wanted a more realistic simulation. Dean had eventually agreed to use a real knife against Gail, hadn't he?

"Realism," Cas said shortly.

Frank shrugged. He knew they could heal each other, anyway. But Cas was clearly looking for the advantage here; Frank knew that there was no way Gail would ever stick him with an Angel blade. He guessed this was just part of her self-defense training. She could be healed if Cas accidentally cut her with an ordinary knife. So he handed Gail the Angel blade, taking the fake knife from her hand.

"Good luck," he teased her, backing up to where Sam and Dean stood.

"Ten bucks on Gail," Sam said, grinning.

More like a hundred million, Dean thought, smiling. There was no way Cas was going to stick Gail; not after he'd stabbed her back in training and been upset about it for about a week afterwards. Good thing this was just practice, though. If Gail got in one good shot with the Angel blade, it would be Adios, Cas. But he knew she'd sooner die herself than stick him with it. So, really, what was the point?

Gail was looking at Cas, wondering what the point was, too. Did he just want to give her a real challenge, keep her sharp? And why insist she wield an Angel blade? She would never hurt him with it; he had to know that. Was he trying to send her some kind of message? Was she supposed to kill him with it? She thought about the struggle he'd had with himself this morning outside the bunker; was this his way of telling her he didn't want to go on? Well, he could just forget it. That was never going to happen. As uneasy as she'd been feeling lately about the future, she loved him. She could never stab him with an Angel blade. What if it worked? Worse still, what if it didn't?

Cas was smiling at her, but she couldn't read his smile. Then Gail felt a momentary chill of fear. He had an ordinary knife, so she knew he couldn't hurt her badly, but still...

He came at her suddenly, but she sidestepped him, pushing him away. He lunged at her again, but she fell to the floor and rolled behind him, getting to her feet quickly. He turned around, still smiling. "Not bad," he said. "But you can't avoid me forever." He raised the knife, showing it to her. Why did that sound so ominous?

Cas came at her again, but she blocked him with her arms, stepping to the side. "Maybe I can," she said, trying to adopt what she was hoping was a playful tone.

Sam and Dean smirked at each other. This was going to be as pointless as Gail's sparring match with Frank had been. What was the point of training when you had two people facing off who would rather slit their own wrists than hurt each other? Cas was probably just trying to keep Gail's reflexes sharp.

"Oh, I don't think so," Cas said, circling her. "I will never let you get away."

Now Gail got it. A week ago, even a couple of days ago, she would have thought that was sweet. Now it was a threat, or at least it felt like one. But it was her fault; she had given him her promise to stay with him, even as he turned darker and darker. And she had given him both her arms, hadn't she?

He came at her again, and she stepped to the left, but he went that way too, and he stabbed her in the side. "Flank," he said, smiling.

Crap. That had always been her weak point, and apparently, it still was. "Damn it!" she cried out, and she grabbed her side. The blood was coming out of her now, seeping through her fingers. It hurt like a son of a bitch, she thought, channeling Dean. She had already been hurting through her midsection due to her exertions with Cas last night and the playfighting today, and now the pain was excruciating. She fell to her knees, still holding her side.

Cas stood over her for a moment, staring at the blood coming from her and dripping from his knife, as if transfixed. He told himself he really hadn't meant to do that. He just wanted her to finally learn to protect her flank. It had always been her weak spot.

"I think we need to toughen you up a bit," Cas said with amusement in his voice, still staring at the blood. "Maybe you need a shot of self-confidence."

She looked up at him disbelievingly. She was writhing on the floor in pain, and not only had he not healed her yet, but he was making a thinly veiled reference to dosing her again, after he'd promised not to. At least, that's what it sounded like he was doing. Was he?

"No, I don't," she said weakly.

"Oh, I think you might," he said lightly.

Frank had had enough. He walked up to Cas and faced him. "Heal her!" he exclaimed. "Can't you see she's in pain?"

Cas looked down at Gail. "Are you in pain?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she shouted.

He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Tell me you need me," he said to her.

"I need you to heal me, Cas," she hissed. The blood was soaking her top now.

He leaned forward, murmuring in her ear, "Tell me you'll never leave me."

"I don't want to leave you, Cas," she said softly, making sure the men couldn't hear.

"That's not exactly what I askd you to say, is it?" he breathed into her ear. "Tell me."

The pain was all-consuming now. "All right, Cas." A tear formed in Gail's eye and dribbled down her cheek. "I'll never leave you."

He licked the tear from her cheek, smiling, and his hands went under her top to heal her wound. He wished he could linger there for a while, but he supposed he'd better not, not with the men watching.

Gail was healed now, at least from the stab wound, and she looked into Cas's eyes.

"I love you," he said softly. She sighed. Those weren't really his eyes; they were store-bought. She wished she could see them as they used to be. This blue was fake, like so many other things in their life now. These were a stranger's eyes she was looking into.

She remembered a song by one of her favourite 80's groups. How did the lyrics go? Something about chasing rainbows, wiping tears from your eyes looking through the eyes of a stranger. Trading your shelter for danger. Wow. She'd thought the lyrics strange at the time, but now she got it. Whoever wrote them could be writing about her life right now.

Gail got up and left the room, rushing into the library area. She paced around wildly. If this was her place, she'd have grabbed everything she saw and smashed it against the wall. What was she going to do?

Sam came into the library area behind her. "Are you all right, Gail?" he asked her. "What the hell's going on?"

She marched up to him. "Smack me in the face right now, Sam. Apparently, that's what I like. Maybe it's what I deserve." She bit out the words.

Sam's brow was furrowed. What was wrong with her? Why was she talking like this? She and Cas had seemed so happy when they came in this morning, and now she was acting like a crazy woman. That scene in the training room had been weird, but it wasn't as if they'd never seen anything like it before. And Cas had healed her, though he'd been a bit slow in doing it. A little out of character for him; maybe he'd just been trying to prove a point. He hadn't heard the whispered exchange between them, but Sam assumed it was Cas telling her to be more careful next time. And she was OK now, wasn't she? Except for her blood-drenched top and the fact that she was telling him to hit her, of course.

"What the hell is going on with you, Gail?" he asked her again.

"I don't know, Sam," she sighed. Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and he hugged her back. She held onto him for dear life, and even though his encircled arms were hurting her, she didn't want to break the embrace. This was the type of comfort she used to get from Cas, and now she was seeking it because of him.

Suddenly, they could hear shouting coming from the training room. Gail pulled out of Sam's embrace and ran down the hall, panicked.

They burst through the door to see Frank and Cas facing each other. Cas had his blade in his hand, and Frank had an Angel blade in his.

"Come on, then," Cas was taunting Frank. "I know you want to hurt me. You've hated me ever since I brought you here. For some reason, you have a problem with me and what I do with your sister. Well, we're both consenting adults. It's time for you to realize that Gail's not as innocent as you seem to think she is."

"I don't give a damn about what you guys do WITH each other," Frank shot back, raising his voice. While that was not entirely true, he had been trying to overlook it. Cas was right about that part; they were consenting adults, and as long as they were both consenting, there wasn't much he could do about it. "It's what you're doing TO her that I have a problem with."

Wait, what? Dean thought. What was he missing here? Cas and Gail seemed fine to him. Like Sam, Dean had thought it odd that Cas had taken a moment before healing her, and maybe Frank was reacting to that. But he hadn't seen his sister train before. It had been a little hard for Dean at first too, but if they were going to treat Gail as an equal, they had to fight with her as if she was a man. Cas knew that.

Gail could see Cas's grip tighten on the blade, and his eyes would have flashed had they been real.

"Well, Gail doesn't have a problem with what I do with her, or to her," Cas said in his quiet voice. "She likes it. I'm tired of you judging me."

He was about to lose it. Gail stepped in-between them. "Cas, let's go someplace and talk," Gail said to him.

"Move out of the way, Gail," he said quietly, with an edge to his voice.

She had a flashback to that time in Cas's cell, when he had been facing off with Jason and she had gotten between them. There was no way she could let Frank fight Cas, especially not the way Cas was now.

Gail turned to Frank and put her hand on his forehead, sending him out of the bunker.

Cas was angry. What had she done? He'd really needed a good fight. All those weapons, and Frank smarting off to him like that, had gotten his blood hot. Gail could see that, of course, and she knew she had to do something fast in case he turned on Sam and Dean.

"Can you guys go get Frank?" she asked the brothers. "I sent him to that diner on 3rd." The place she and Frank had gone for lunch. It was the first place she had thought to send him that was far enough away from here, yet not so far that he would be unretrievable fairly quickly. "And tell him I'll see him later, either today or before he leaves. Oh, and tell him I'm sorry."

She grabbed Cas's hand and winked them out of the bunker.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "What the hell was that?" Sam asked his brother.

Dean was puzzled. He didn't really know. When Gail had left the room so abruptly and Sam had run after her, Frank had been staring Cas down. Dean had expected Cas to apologize, or to look upset at least, but Cas had been looking back at Frank with a defiant expression on his face. What was it with those two? Sure, nobody liked to think about a guy doing their sister, and especially that the sister was enjoying it, but they were all adults here. It wasn't like Cas to say things like that, though. Couldn't he see that he was just stirring the pot? It was probably a good thing Gail had stepped in when she had.

"I dunno, Sammy," Dean said, shaking his head. Then he smiled. "I guess we'd better go get Frank. He's probably pissed. I think I'll get a bacon burger to go, though. Bless you, Gail, wherever you are."

She brought Cas to the crossroads and silently called for Crowley. He'd told them that all they had to do now was think his name and he'd hear, and sure enough, he appeared.

"You called, sweetheart?" he asked her.

Cas had stowed his blade, but he was literally shaking with rage. He was like a drug addict who needed a fix.

"Can you please take him and...let him do what he needs to do?" Gail said to Crowley.

"What is it he needs to do?" Crowley said archly, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh, don't get coy with me," she snapped. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

Crowley looked at her blood-drenched top with a mixture of amusement and alarm. "Yes, I suppose I do. So, we've escalated, have we?" he said to them both, keeping his tone light.

"No, it was nothing like that," Gail retorted. "It was an accident."

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart," he said calmly.

Gail kissed Cas on the cheek. "Go with him," she said. "I'll see you at home later."

He looked at her. "Promise you'll be there?"

"Yes, I'll be there, Cas," she answered. Actually, it would be nice to sit in a quiet house for a bit. She had a lot of thinking to do.

After Gail had gone, Crowley looked at Castiel. He'd known what Gail had been getting at, of course; he was just hard-wired to give them a hard time. He supposed he could help out; torture and murder were his stock-in-trade, after all.

"How would you like to pay Alexander and Lanister a visit?" he said to Castiel.

Cas looked at him gratefully.

"Oh, and take those ridiculous contacts out," Crowley said, rolling his eyes. "We don't believe in disguises in Hell. Let your true self come out, Castiel." He smiled and put his hand on his Brother's arm.

Gail did go to the house for a while, and she sat on the couch, thinking furiously. Something had to be done about Cas, before one of the men ended up dead. Frank and Sam and Dean were heading out on the road, which would buy her some time, but they wouldn't be gone forever. And she would be here, wouldn't she?

What the hell kind of thought was that, now? She didn't believe Cas would ever really hurt her, did she? OK, he was aggressive in the bedroom now, and that translated into marks and bruises on her body which were painful. And yes, he had just stabbed her, but she was sure that hadn't been on purpose, not really. He had stabbed her in the chest in the training room when he'd been 100% Angel, and before they'd even started their intimate relationship. But really, really hurt her? No.

Gail was still making excuses for him, still rationalizing. She had brought him to Crowley because she'd known he needed a violent outlet for his anger, and she'd denied him that by not allowing him to fight and possibly kill Frank. Crowley would know what to do with him. Crowley was the King of Hell, but he seemed to operate under some sort of a strange gentlemans' code, so Gail didn't think anyone would be in danger, except for maybe some denizens of Hell, who had been doomed anyway. Better them than anyone she loved.

But the question remained: What was she going to do about Cas? She needed to find out what had been done TO him first, before she could figure out what to do ABOUT him. Then she had an idea. This whole thing had started with Crowley, but then Metatron was apparently somehow involved, too. Metatron was unavailable to her now, but Cas had advised that Jason had mentioned Metatron's name in that context. If she hoped to save Cas, she needed to talk to Jason and find out what he knew. And she'd better make it quick.

Lanister and Alexander were on the wheel, and Crowley had sent the Torture Master and his assistants out of the room.

Cas looked at the array of instruments of torture in the room, astonished. He was a little horrified, but mostly impressed. Dean had never talked in much detail about what had gone in this room when he had been here, not even to Cas or Sam. Now that he was seeing it for himself, Cas could understand why. Dean had a tough facade, but he was sensitive underneath, and it would have been emotional torture for him to relive the things that had been done to him in this room, and the things he had done to others.

But Cas had no such compunctions himself, and the entity he had become was grateful to his Brother for bringing him here. This would do very nicely. He could spend as long as he needed to here, and then go home and be with Gail, working off his excitement at what he had accomplished here. Maybe he'd even be able to be gentle with her this time. He really did love her, and in his eagerness to show her, and to make her show him that she still loved him and wanted to be with him, he knew that he got carried away sometimes.

He turned to Crowley, an ugly smile starting to form on his face. "Leave us," he said. And Crowley left. Even he didn't think he had the stomach to see what was going to happen.

"Hi, Ethan," Gail said, approaching him at the front desk of the prison.

"Gail!" His face lit up, and he jumped to his feet and came around the desk. "Long time, no see. How are you?" He gave her a hug.

She returned his hug briefly. "Fine, Ethan. How are things with you?"

"Same old, same old," he said, smiling. "How's Cas? We never see you guys any more."

"Well, I wanted to spend some time with my brother," Gail said.

"That's right, Cas brought him back, didn't he?" Ethan's smile grew wider.

Gail was surprised. Apparently, Heaven's rumour mill was alive and well. Either Chuck or Kevin had probably told him. They'd both been at the bunker while Frank was there.

"Yeah," Gail replied, "and he'll be leaving tomorrow to go out on the road. "But I don't really have a lot of time to chat right now, Ethan. I need you to do me a favour. I need to talk to Jason."

He gaped at her. "You want to talk to Jason? Why would you want to do that?"

"I can't really say, Ethan," she told him. "I just need you to trust me. Please."

He looked at her for a moment. When Cas had visited Jason, Ethan had suspected there was something going on. Now Gail was here, alone, wanting to talk to the Angel that had tortured her. What was going on? Gail looked agitated, antsy, and her top was soaked in blood.

"OK, Gail," he relented. "Come with me."

"Thanks, Ethan," she said.

They walked down the corridor. "What happened to you?" Ethan asked her. In truth, he hadn't even been that shocked by the fact that Gail had blood all over her. Heaven's rumour mill was indeed very active, and it seemed like her and Cas were always targets for mayhem.

"What do you mean?" Gail asked him.

"Umm...your top," Ethan said dryly.

Crap! She had forgotten all about it in her haste to talk to Jason before Cas got back. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now. "Oh," she said. "A little training incident. Nothing to worry about."

They got to Jason's cell, and when Jason saw who Ethan had with him, he was astonished. She was the last person he thought he would ever see here. And Castiel wasn't with her. Interesting.

Gail looked at Ethan. "I need to talk to him alone for a minute," she told him.

"No. No way, Gail. Cas would kill me," Ethan protested.

"Yes, he probably would," Jason said, rising from his bunk and walking to the front of the cell.

"He can't do anything to me from in there," Gail said to Ethan. "But I need some privacy. Please, Ethan. It's really important."

He frowned. "OK, Gail, but I'll be just down the corridor. Call out if you need me, for anything."

"I will, Ethan, thanks," she said.

When Ethan was out of earshot, Gail turned to Jason.

"So, he's started in on you too, has he?" Jason said, smirking.

Gail was shocked. It felt like Jason had just slapped her in the face. She knew what had happened when Cas had been here to talk to Jason, of course; all she'd had to do was look at his blood-soaked clothes and his excited state. And he'd talked about Jason needing some convincing at the end of his blade. But she knew that Cas's torture of Jason would have had nothing to do with interrogation.

"No, it's not like that," she answered reflexively. "I'm here to talk to you about what you told Castiel."

Jason regarded her coolly. He thought it was very telling that she didn't ask him who he meant by "he", and she didn't even seem that outraged by what he was suggesting. So, she knew what Castiel was now. But the fact that she was aware of what had been discussed between Castiel and himself told Jason that she was either in denial about how bad Castiel had gotten, or worse, that she didn't care.

"What about it?" he sneered. Heaven's golden couple. And people thought he was evil.

"I need to know the method Metatron used," she told him. Gail had framed her sentence very carefully. She had no idea how Metatron was involved, or if Jason even knew anything about it. But she was trying to give Jason the impression that she already knew, or at least, knew something. She knew he wouldn't volunteer much information. Why would he help them?

"I don't know what he put in the damn potion," Jason retorted. "You can send your Demon lover to torture me all you want. It'll do you no good. Or did he send you? Those doe eyes of yours aren't going to work on me. I had no respect for either of you when you were Angels, let alone whatever the hell you are now."

The potion! So that was it. Metatron had put something in the love potion Aurielle had poured down Cas's throat, and it was this mysterious ingredient, or ingredients, that were working on him now. He'd already had Crowley's Demon essence in him, so whatever little bonus Metatron had thrown in there must have exacerbated Castiel's condition.

"And he said that whatever he was going to do would be permanent," Jason continued. "So, good luck with that. Maybe I'll see you in Hell when he's killed you."

Gail glared at Jason, but she felt a shiver inside. Surely it couldn't come to that; Jason was just being Jason. He couldn't torture her with his blade at the moment, so he was trying to torture her with his words.

"Ethan!" she called, and he came rushing down the corridor.

"I'm done here," Gail told him.

"You're done, period," Jason said, smirking.

Ethan took his blade out and rapped it on the bars of Jason's cell. "Shut up, Jason," he said. "If you can't talk to Gail with respect, then don't talk to her at all."

"SHE came to talk to ME," Jason retorted. "And I didn't know Angels advocated respecting Demons."

Ethan laughed shortly. "You're out of your mind. What are you ranting about?"

Jason nodded at Gail. "Ask her."

"That's enough," Gail snapped. "Take me out of here, Ethan, please. I don't know what I was thinking by coming here."

Her mind was working furiously as Ethan escorted her down the corridor. So Metatron had added something to the potion, and only he knew what. But Metatron was in Hell, locked away in Lucifer's cage. Great. How could she gain access to him there? Could Crowley help her? But even if he could, and she could shake Cas long enough to see Metatron, why would he help her? Maybe she could threaten him with Cas somehow. She was sure that Cas could now access Hell any time he wanted; could she somehow convince Metatron that it would be in his best interests to restore Castiel to Angel status? But Jason had said that Metatron had advised that whatever the change had been, it would be permanent. Did that mean there was no hope? Or was he lying?

Her head spun with all the questions, and she had better get back. So Gail hugged Ethan and said that she and Cas would stop by to see him and their other friends soon. She hoped she wasn't the liar now.

Gail winked back to the house, but Cas wasn't there. She found her cell phone and called Dean.

"Did you guys get Frank OK?" she asked him, keeping her tone light.

"Yeah, he was fuming, but we got him," Dean answered. She could hear the smile in his voice. He still thought all this was funny. "Best bacon burger in the world. Thanks, Gail."

She rolled her eyes. Only Dean could take a dramatic scene like the one they'd had and turn it into a food-scarfing opportunity. But then, to be fair, he had no idea what was really going on.

"Can I talk to him, please?" she asked Dean.

A moment later, Frank's voice: "What the hell was that, Gail?"

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just didn't want you and Cas to fight. I think we've had enough of that for quite a while."

Silence. Then: "I guess you're right, Gail. I was just upset seeing him stab you that way. But Dean and Sam told me it happened before. And I know you're fine. I just have to get used to this Angel stuff a bit more, I guess."

Maybe not for much longer, she thought ruefully. "Listen, I've got some stuff I have to do," she told him, "but I'll definitely be there in the morning to see you off, OK?"

"OK, Gail," he said. Then: "Gail?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you, and I'm really proud of you," Frank said.

Tears pooled in her eyes. Thank God he hadn't said that to her face. The fact that he was saying it at all now was bad enough.

"I love you too, Frank," she said. She was barely holding it together. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She hit End Call and cried until Cas came home.

He winked into the bedroom and shed his bloody clothes, dropping them on the floor as he always did. "I'll be right out," he told her, heading for the shower.

When he came out, he walked over to the bed and lay down beside her, taking her in his arms. "I do believe I'm tired," he said lightly. "Would you just let me hold you for a while?"

Gail was astonished. "Sure, Cas," she said quietly.

He kissed her on the forehead and they lay silently together for a while. Apparently whatever it was that he had done had taken the aggression right out of him, at least momentarily. She knew it was wrong, but she blessed Crowley. It was kind of nice to cuddle for a change.

Eventually, his hands started to explore her body, and she took off her clothes to make it easier. And his gentleness had made her receptive. If it could only be this way all the time, she could stay forever. But the more excited he got, the more aggressive he became. She didn't mind a little aggression, but when his fingers dug into her skin, she knew she'd have bruises on top of her bruises in the morning.

Still, she wasn't 100% Angel either, not any more, and he was getting her excited too, almost despite herself. But every time she would get close to the brink, he would get too rough, and the feeling would subside.

Cas was getting frustrated. She was making him feel amazing, doing everything just the way he liked, but even though she had whimpered a couple of times, that had been it. He had been on top of her, behind her, and had used his fingers and his tongue on her.

He looked up at her. "What's the matter?"

She sighed. "I don't know, Cas, I'm just sore, I guess. Let me take care of you, and then I'll just rest for a bit, OK?"

He was disturbed, but he brought himself up to her mouth and soon she was making him moan. He loved her so much. He was saying her name, over and over, the way she usually said his.

Then they were laying together again, and he was murmuring, "What do you need, Gail?"

Wow. She'd never realized how open-ended that question was before. Up until today, the answer had always been him. Now, it was more complicated. She still loved him and she still needed him, but she didn't need the bruises and she didn't need the pain. The small amount of poison he had injected into her bloodstream was waning, and since he had mercifully not brought up the subject of replacing it, Gail was finally starting to think clearly. But she still thought she needed to do whatever needed to be done on her own. Whatever else happened, she would try to keep his secret as long as she could. Castiel had been a good Angel for centuries, and he had once again been dealt a bad hand. If he was one of God's favourites, God sure had a funny way of showing it. What had happened to Castiel was not his fault; none of it was. Maybe that was why she had been able to stay with him for this long, when she should have left the first time he'd put the first painful mark on her body. She did love him and she always would, but if she could not cure him, she would have to kill him.

"I think I need to cuddle and watch a little TV," she said in answer to his question.

Cas looked at her curiously, but he reached over and grabbed the TV remote. She lay on top of him, facing the TV, and they watched for a while in silence. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her lovingly, and her body didn't hurt at all, at least not for the moment.

Finally, when he couldn't stand it any more, Cas's fingers began to stroke her and his tongue licked her neck, then her ear. But his grip never tightened, just caressed. And when he murmured, "I love you," she was able to say it back and mean it. Then she was saying his name, and he was smiling. But as she was crying out his name, she was also crying. And because her back was to him, he never saw.

Ethan clocked out at the prison and headed to the library. He was disturbed, and he needed to talk to a friend.

Chuck looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ethan. How goes it?"

"Is there anyone else here?" Ethan asked him.

"Nah, too early," Chuck told him. "The avid readers don't usually start drifting in till later."

"Good," Ethan said, drawing up a stool to sit across from Chuck. "Can you lock the door? I have to talk to you about something."

Chuck looked at him. "Is this about Cas? And Gail?"

Ethan was equal parts startled and relieved. How did he - Oh, yeah. Prophet.

Chuck moved quickly, locking the door, then he returned to the desk and sat across from Ethan. "Tell me what you know," he said.

"That's just it, I don't really know anything," Ethan said, frowning. "I just have a hinky feeling. There's something going on, Chuck. Something bad."

Chuck sighed. "I know."

"What have you seen, Chuck?"

"Bits and pieces," Chuck replied. "Kevin, too. But none of it makes any sense. The colour purple. Gail crying. And Metatron laughing."

Ethan felt a stab to the gut. "And Cas?"

Chuck frowned. "Cas, with his blade in his hand. Covered in blood."

Gail frowned down at herself. Frank was due to leave soon. This would have to be good enough. Her clothes covered most of the marks, but she didn't own anything that covered it all. She should have done that shopping with Jody after all, bought some full-sleeve sweaters with high necks. She had a three-quarter sleeve top on, but it wasn't enough to cover the scrape on her chest from Cas's stubble or the ugly black and green bruises on her arm near her wrist. Well, Frank had seen those marks before; she would just have to make some kind of lame joke if he pointed them out again. She wouldn't have to worry about it soon. Their human family was leaving today. Frank was heading out this morning, and Sam and Dean had advised they would probably be gone later today, after Dean finished whatever he was doing with the Impala. Some kind of car stuff; she had tuned out when he and Frank had been talking about it.

Cas put his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. "Ready to go?" he asked her.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied, trying to sound cheerful.

"Turn around," he said. She did, and he looked her up and down. Cas saw the bruise too, but he shrugged. People bruised sometimes, and she'd had it for a couple of days. Though it had changed into a dark, ugly colour now, it shouldn't be a problem. The irony was totally lost on him.

Chuck, Ethan and Kevin sat in Bobby's office. He'd smiled when all three of them had walked in a few minutes ago. Laurel had buzzed him that the Angels said they needed to see him urgently, and he'd said to send them right in.

"Ganging up on me now?" Bobby had asked them, still smiling. He made a gesture, inviting them to sit. Truthfully, he was glad of the visit. Things had been very quiet for the last few days, and he'd been getting a little bored. Careful what you wish for.

But he was not smiling now. The Prophets were telling him they'd been having ominous visions about Cas and Gail. Bobby sighed. Why did this not even surprise him? They were two of his best Angels and two of his best friends, but it was always something with those two. For such a lovable couple, they sure seemed to have a lot of enemies. But he'd thought that everything was OK with them now. He hadn't seen them since their brief visit here, but Bobby assumed they'd been spending time with Gail's brother. Lord knew she was entitled.

Chuck had advised that he was seeing Metatron too, but that didn't make any sense to Bobby. Metatron was locked up in Lucifer's cage; how could he be a factor any more? But while Chuck said he'd been seeing Metatron, Kevin advised he'd been seeing Crowley. Worse, he had seen Cas and Gail standing with Crowley, and they'd all been looking at Angel blades together. If Bobby didn't know better, he'd swear that Chuck had a few flasks hidden in those books of his at the library and that he and Kevin had been having more than a few "book club meetings". Their recent detente notwithstanding, the only way Castiel and Crowley would be looking at blades together would be when they were putting them into each other's chests, and Gail certainly wouldn't be standing between them at the time. Kevin was nuts.

But then Ethan had weighed in, telling Bobby about Cas's visit with Jason, and Gail's, as well. Jason had been telling Ethan that there was something very seriously wrong with Cas, and maybe with Gail, too. And while you had to consider the source, all of this information pouring in all at once was a red flag. But what should Bobby do about it? What could he do about it?

"Thanks for coming in, guys," Bobby said to them. "Leave it with me."

They rose, thanking him for listening, and left the office. Bobby sat, frowning, deep in thought. There may be nothing to it; at least, he hoped so. But the Prophets had never been wrong, as far as Bobby knew. And Ethan was smart, perceptive.

Where should he start? Angel Radio? Cell phone? Hotline?

Bobby opened his desk drawer and took out the cell phone.

Sam picked up. "Hey, Bobby," he said. The others all looked at him, and Gail smiled, giving a small wave. "Tell him hi from us," she said, and Sam nodded.

"Gail's just saying goodbye to her brother," Sam told Bobby. He listened for a moment, then said, "Yeah, sure." He hung up. "He said to call him back," Sam said aloud. It wasn't clear who he was talking to.

Frank had packed up the car, and they were all standing around him in the garage.

"Well, I guess that's it," Frank said. He was excited to be getting back on the road again, and getting back to his old life. But he was also sad to be leaving Gail behind.

"I'll see you soon, kiddo," Frank told her. She was crying silently. "Aw, don't do that," he said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his hands. But the tears kept on coming. She couldn't help it. She didn't know when she'd see him again. And what condition would she be in when they did see each other next? What would Cas be then? Would they even both still be alive? If she were selfish, she'd beg Frank not to leave. But it was best that he got away from here for a while. Things were going to get very ugly very soon, and Frank would be safer fighting monsters than he would be staying here, and around Cas.

Frank shook hands with Sam and Dean, pulling each man in for a half-hug. "Thanks for your hospitality, guys," he told them. Then he smirked. "And for all the beers."

"Any time, Frank," Sam said to him.

"Yeah, we'll keep some on ice for you," Dean said. Then he held up a key.

"What's that?" he joked. "Spare key to the Impala?"

"Hey, you may be family, but I don't like you THAT much," Dean joked back. "I don't even like Sammy that much." Sam pretended to look offended, and they all laughed. Dean handed Frank the key. "It's a spare to this place. Cas and Gail don't need it, they just barge in here whenever they feel like it." He smirked at the couple. "But if you're in the neighbourhood and we're not here, make yourself at home. But don't drink all the beer, or I'll have Gail kick your ass."

Frank smirked back, but he was touched. The Winchesters had accepted him as a friend and family member after all the crap he had pulled as a Demon, and Cas and Gail had forgiven him, too. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

He looked at the Angels then. They were still a puzzle to him. Gail had changed a lot in the year that he'd been gone, but in some other ways, she hadn't changed at all. He had to stop thinking of her as that little girl he'd had to protect all those years ago, though. Even though what had happened in the training room had upset him, he had to admit that she could pretty much take care of herself now. And if the guy standing next to her was taking care of her in a different kind of way, well, Frank would just have to accept that, too. Strange as it was to him, Gail was happy.

Frank put out his hand for Cas to shake. He wanted to tell Cas he didn't hate him, as Cas seemed to think. It was complicated. Cas had replaced Frank in Gail's life now as her protector and constant companion, and that had been hard for Frank to deal with. Dean had told Frank that Cas was an acquired taste, and Gail's brother could see why. To Frank, he was an odd combination of Angel and human, both meek and bold, and Frank just couldn't figure him out. Next time he saw Cas, Frank told himself he'd make a real effort, sit down alone with him and have a nice long talk. They both loved Gail, and she loved them, so they had that in common, at the very least.

"Good luck, Frank," Cas said to him. "Stay safe."

Frank smiled. "I will. You'll take good care of my sister, won't you?"

"I always do," Cas said, smiling gently. "And I always will."

Gail's eyes were still leaking. She launched herself into Frank's arms and he hugged her back. It hurt, but she didn't care. This whole thing hurt.

Frank extricated himself from Gail's embrace. This was getting ridiculous, and even though he didn't think they'd give him too hard of a time, Frank didn't want to start crying in front of Sam and Dean. He could do that once he got out of here.

"I love you, kiddo," Frank said to Gail, chucking her under the chin. "Go wipe your face, you're springing a leak."

Gail sniffled, wiping her face with her hands. "You've got me on speed dial if you get hurt, right?" she said, trying to smile. "And Sam and Dean can help you out if you get into trouble."

"Piece of cake," he said lightly. She hadn't mentioned Cas by name, he thought. Odd. Oh well, he guessed they were such a package deal now that "I" meant "we". Couples were like that. "Later, 'gator," he said to Gail.

"See you later...Frank," she replied. They smiled. That was one of their private jokes.

Frank got in the car and Dean pressed the remote, opening the garage door. Then Frank pulled out, waving out the window, and he was gone.

They were all quiet for a few moments. Gail sniffled again as the garage door rolled shut.

"I'll call Bobby back," Sam said quietly. "Find out what he wants." He opened the door to the bunker and stepped inside.

Cas said, "I'll come with you." He kissed Gail on the cheek. "Will you be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Cas," she replied, sighing. "I'm just sad."

Dean had lifted the hood of the Impala and was looking at the engine. He really wanted to finish what he'd been doing so he and Sammy could get on the road, too. He understood Frank's eagerness to get back out there. He looked at Gail. Dean knew the siblings would miss each other, but they were in different places than him and Sam. Frank was a human, and Gail was an Angel, and Cas would be there for her.

Cas grabbed her arm where the really bad bruise was, and Gail winced. Cas leaned down and spoke into her ear. "Don't worry, I'll make you feel very happy in a little while," he said softly.

"You're hurting me right now," she said sharply, but quietly. Dean had his head under the hood of the car, and she didn't want him to hear.

Cas looked down at her arm. "What, this?" he said, smiling. He brought her arm up to his mouth and licked the bruise. "We'll get our friend to take care of that, and then I'll take care of you." He was speaking softly, too. He realized that Dean was here, but Dean was busy looking at his Baby, and Cas was busy with his.

But then he frowned. "I'd better go see what Bobby wants." He'd better not want them to come up there. He needed to get Gail healed again, and then he needed to take her to bed. Though maybe not necessarily in that order, he smiled to himself.

Cas left the garage, and Dean stared after him. Then he looked at Gail. Dean had been watching them, and that little scene had given him a very weird feeling. They'd been talking softly, so he hadn't heard what they had said. But he'd seen Cas lick Gail's arm where the bruise was, and it had creeped him out. Dean didn't judge; if his Angel friends were somehow able to have a sexual relationship, it didn't bother him. But that action of Cas's had been so atypical of the Cas he knew that it had made Dean's flesh crawl. And now that Cas was gone, Gail was looking so forlorn. Dean also couldn't help but notice that when Cas had grabbed Gail's arm, the bruise she wore seemed to be in pretty much the same shape as that of Cas's fingers.

OK, that was nuts. There was no way. How could he even think such a thing? Dean gave his head a shake. It had to be just a coincidence.

Gail came over to the car. "Are you still tinkering around in there?" she asked him, smiling.

"My Baby's gotta be happy," Dean said, smirking. He looked down at the air filter. Better replace that, too; who knew how long he and Sammy would be gone? He looked at Gail. "Hey, do me a favour. Would you get me a new air filter? I've got a couple over there, on the shelf." He nodded at the shelving unit against the wall.

"Sure, Dean," she said, walking over to where he'd indicated. Her eyes scanned the shelves. She'd been hanging around Frank long enough to know what an air filter was, but she couldn't see one. "Where?" she asked him.

"Top shelf," he told her. He had the toolbox open and was already starting to remove the old one.

Gail looked up, and she rolled her eyes. "Way up there?" she said. "Who am I, Sam?"

"There's a stepstool right there," Dean told her.

Gail looked to the side. Oh. Right. She drew it in front of the shelving unit and climbed up, stretching for the box. "Wow," she said. "Could you maybe store this a little higher next time?"

Dean looked over at her, preparing a retort, but the words died on his lips as he saw the marks on her back. Gail's top had lifted as she stretched up for the box, and Dean saw the red marks and bruises there. Dean's blood ran cold. What the hell?

Gail brought the box over to him. "Here you go," she said. "Next time, either store them lower or get Sam to do it. Yikes."

Dean couldn't move, and he couldn't talk. He just stood there, staring at her. There had to be an explanation, and it couldn't be what he was thinking. It was impossible.

Sam and Cas came back into the garage. "Bobby says hi, and he'll be in touch," Sam told them. "I told him we were going on the road, and he reminded me he was God." He grinned.

Cas came over to where Gail and Dean stood. He noticed the look on Dean's face. "What's going on?" he asked them.

"I don't know," Gail said. "Dean asked me to get this for him, and now he's just standing there like a statue. Earth to Dean," she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

Dean took the box from her. His eyes now shifted to Cas. He knew Cas better than anybody, and it was unimaginable. But how had Gail gotten all those marks? And why had Cas licked her bruise?

"We've got something we have to do," Cas said to Sam and Dean. "When are you planning to leave?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean spoke first. "It might not be as soon as we thought," he said slowly. "Baby needs more work."

Sam looked at Dean, puzzled. His brother had told him that the car was in tiptop shape. He rolled his eyes. Dean had probably found something that didn't meet his standard of perfection. Oh well, today, tomorrow, it didn't really matter to him. Maybe he could sneak in one more healthy home-cooked meal before they had to start eating road food.

"Oh," Cas said. He guessed it didn't really matter. He and Gail would go about their business as they saw fit. Now that her brother was gone, she wouldn't feel the need to come here as often. She'd probably want to see Sam and Dean off, but that would be it for a while. Then he could take the damn contacts out. They were starting to irritate his eyes. He took Gail's hand. "We'll see you later, then." He winked them out of the garage.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked his brother. "I thought you were ready to go."

"We may have a problem, Sammy," Dean said thoughtfully. Was Gail that injured all over? She couldn't be; based on what little he'd seen, he didn't know how she could even be walking around if that was the case. But how had she gotten hurt? That was what was bothering him. She'd been tortured by Jason at the cabin, but he had healed her and then she'd been fine. Things had been quiet after that incident, and though he and Sam had seen very little of their Angel friends since, if she and Cas had been involved in a fight that had caused those kinds of injuries, they would have told the Winchesters about it, at the very least. But what else could it be? He didn't want to think what he was thinking, but Dean was thinking it anyway. His brain was fighting with itself. Cas had done that to her. No, that was idiotic. That wasn't who Cas was. The one bruise, Dean could explain away. Stuff happened, sometimes. Dean had hurt himself working on this very car more than once, and anyone could have an accident. But even if Cas had grabbed her arm a little too hard by accident, that wouldn't explain all the marks Dean had seen on her back. Rough sex? Dean felt nauseous at the thought, but could that explain what he had seen? If that was the case, was it even any of his business? But there was something going on here, and it stunk. He had to find out if it was Cas who was doing this to her, so he could hopefully rule that out. If Gail had injuries in other places, especially more private ones, the evidence would pretty much be conclusive. But he wasn't the one who would be able to find that out. Then he had an idea.

"Give me your phone," Dean said to Sam. "I need to call Jody."

Cas took Gail straight to the bedroom. He felt freer now that her brother was gone, and last night hadn't satisfied him. He took the contacts out, and then he grabbed her. His tongue was in her mouth, dancing with hers, and he stripped her top off immediately. Then he sat her down on the bed and pulled her pants off as gently as he could. He really was going to try to be a bit more gentle with her. If Crowley could provide him with the same kind of outlet as he'd had last night to take the edge off, Cas could be the right kind of aggressive with Gail, not hurt her so much. He was sure that had been her problem last night. And he didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to please her. He could convince her to stay with him if he just kept the violence in Hell, where it belonged.

He ran his tongue all over her body, paying attention to every bruise and abrasion he had caused. She was starting to respond now. This was more like it. He opened her legs and kissed the insides of her thighs, licking the red marks there. Maybe he'd have Crowley leave a couple. This was his territory, and looking at them made him feel proud. How many times had he been here, using different methods to make her cry out his name? And it always worked. She loved him, and she'd told him to keep the stubble, hadn't she? She probably liked having his marks on her most intimate of places. He used his tongue on her and her body jerked. Her hands were in his hair, and she was breathing heavily. That was confirmation enough for him. But he needed to hear her.

Gail liked what he was doing right now. He had kissed and licked every sore he'd made on her body as if in apology, and he was being just the right combination of gentle and aggressive.

"Do you want me to continue?" Cas asked her softly.

Gail nodded. "Yes. Please."

Cas smiled. He liked that, but he needed to hear more. He continued, then stopped again, kissing and licking the red marks instead. His marks. The violet in his eyes darkened to deep purple.

"Tell me you like it," he said to her.

She was whimpering now, trying to redirect him to where she needed him to be. But he wasn't going to make it that easy for her. He gave her a couple more licks, then he waited for her to speak.

"Please, Cas," Gail breathed. "Please don't stop. You know I like it."

He did, and that was what he needed to hear from her. She might pretend she didn't like it when he was aggressive with her, but this was all evidence to the contrary as far as he was concerned. She'd reacted when he'd kissed the welts and licked the bruises, and when he resumed what he'd been doing, she started to call out his name, saying she loved him. That signified to Cas that she continued to accept him as he was, even as dark as he was now. That she was willing to wear his marks, if he was willing to love them as much as he was willing to love her.

He moved his body on top of hers and she wrapped her legs around him. He couldn't be gentle any more; he was too excited at the thought that he could do what he wanted to do to her, with her tacit permission.

Sam and Dean had had a long talk, and Dean confided what he had seen and what he was thinking. Sam was shocked, but when he opened his mouth to tell Dean he was crazy, he snapped it shut again. Sam had also been feeling that there was something up with Cas and Gail, but he had kept himself in denial about it. He had thought that Gail had been ranting when she'd said what she said to him after the training session, but now he seriously wondered. He told Dean that she'd spouted some nonsense to him about hitting her. The brothers looked at each other. Had Gail been trying to tell Sam something?

But Sam agreed with Dean; the idea was so crazy that it needed further investigation. They called Jody and asked for her help. If she could come back and take Gail clothes shopping, could she try to find out the extent of Gail's injuries, maybe talk to her and try to draw her out a bit? They were like brothers to Gail, but they also went way back with Cas; maybe that was why Gail felt like she couldn't confide in them. If there was anything to confide, that was. The brothers still didn't want to believe it.

Jody was willing to help, but she told them it would take a while for her to get there, even if she hopped in the car immediately. But Dean didn't want to wait that long. "Hang on, Jody, I have an idea," he told her. "I'll call you back."

Dean told Sam what he was thinking, and Sam thought it was worth a shot. They dropped to their knees and started to pray, loudly.

Bobby appeared a few minutes later. "You bellowed?" he said dryly.

"Yeah, well, we didn't have your number," Dean said, rising to his feet.

"Is it unlisted, or do you just not love us any more?" Sam quipped.

Bobby looked at them, surprised. He'd just assumed he'd given them his number at some point. "Give it here," he said to Dean, pointing to the cell phone Dean had in his hand. "Yours, too," he said to Sam. He entered his number under Contacts on both of their phones.

"It IS unlisted," Bobby told them, handing the phones back. They couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "So don't go giving it out." He thought for a moment. "OK, give it to Gail. But that's it."

"What about Cas?" Sam asked him.

Bobby frowned. "Better make it just Gail for the moment. If and when I need to talk to Cas, I'll call him in the usual way. Or I'll just show up at their house if I have to."

Sam looked at him suspiciously. "What do you know that you're not telling us?"

"What do you guys know that you're not telling me?" Bobby countered.

All three men looked at each other for a moment, then they started talking. None of them liked what he was hearing, or what he himself was being forced to say aloud.

When they were done talking, Bobby looked at Dean and said, "Make the call. Tell her I'll be right there."

Jody left one of her deputies in charge and left the police station. She drove home and let herself into her apartment. Bobby was already in the living room, pacing the floor.

"I let myself in," he said dryly. "Didn't figure you'd mind."

"You'd better not have stolen anything," she quipped, and he smiled.

Jody took off her jacket and duty belt, dropping them on a chair. "What do you think, Bobby? Is there a reason for us to worry here?"

Bobby frowned. "I don't know, Jody. I sure hope not. But we've gotta find out. There's something going on, that's for sure. Too many people think there's something wrong for there not to be something wrong. Does that make sense?"

Jody sighed. Actually, it did. "Yeah, Bobby. I've worked a few domestics in my time, and in pretty much all of them, the signs were there. Most people ignore them because they don't want to believe what's actually been going on behind closed doors."

Bobby's expression was grim. "I don't want to believe it, either. None of us do. But we need you to find out as much as you can for us, Jody. We need to find out for sure. And I hope we're wrong. I really do."

Jody nodded. So did she.

She went into the bedroom and changed into jeans and a T-shirt, then came back out. "Where's Frank?" she asked Bobby.

"He's already gone out on a case," Bobby told her. "And it's just as well. At this point, he doesn't need to know anything. There may not be anything to know. The last thing we need is for him and Cas to be mixing it up. Sam and Dean told me they've already come close a few times."

Jody shook her head. She knew. Frank had told her how much he regretted not being able to get along with Cas better, and that Gail was mad at him because of it. Like Dean, Jody had just put it down to Frank's reluctance to accept that Gail was an adult woman in an adult relationship. Frank had told Jody the whole story of how he and Gail had gone on the run after those Demons had killed their parents. Frank had been a combination of father, brother, and a little bit of a mother to Gail, and he had done his best to raise her the rest of the way while doing what he did. Then those other Demons had kidnapped Frank and Gail, and everything had changed for them from that day on. Jody had felt for Frank as he'd told her what had happened after that. He'd been unflinchingly honest with her about his time with Crowley, and Jody respected him for it. She didn't know him then and she hadn't been around for most of it, so it would have been very easy for Frank to have toned down or minimized his actions while in Crowley's service. But he'd told her pretty much everything, and he'd hung his head at the end of the story. She'd felt like giving him a hug then, but Jody had restrained herself at the last moment. Despite hearing just about everything there was to hear about him, she really didn't know Frank that well. And he didn't know very much about her, either. She had her own tragic baggage, but her story would have to wait for another time.

Bobby took Jody to Cas and Gail's house, and he dropped her off around the corner, just in case one of the Angels happened to look out the window. He needn't have worried. They hadn't left the bedroom since they'd gotten back. They never did any more.

Bobby waved his hand, and a new car appeared at the curb. He handed her a key. "On loan only," he said, smiling faintly. "If I did it for you, I'd have to do it for everybody."

If the situation hadn't been so potentially serious, she would have laughed. "Thanks, Bobby," Jody said, taking the key.

"Give a call over to the bunker when you're done," he told her. "I'll wait there, and I'll bring you back home after you give us your report."

Jody nodded. She was here under the guise of a simple shopping trip, but she would approach it like a case. She had to; there could be a lot riding on her observations.

Gail heard the knocking. She and Cas were taking a break, and as their breathing calmed down, she raised herself up on one elbow. "Do you hear that?" she said to him.

"I don't hear anything," Cas said. "Come here." He pulled her down and rolled her over onto her back, kissing her, probing her mouth with his tongue. He grabbed her hand and guided it down to himself. He was ready to go again, right now, and if she wasn't, that was too bad. Crowley could heal the abrasions.

But the knocking had become a pounding, and Cas frowned. Whoever was at the door was clearly not going away. For a moment, he considered just ignoring them and proceeding anyway. The house had every protection, and he didn't like to be interrupted. But the pounding persisted, and Cas was starting to get seriously pissed off.

"Stay here," he barked at Gail. He got off the bed and threw on pants and a shirt, looking at his blazer hanging on the chair. He shrugged that on too, and checked to make sure that his blade was tucked securely in the inside pocket.

"Be right back," he said to Gail, and he swept out of the bedroom.

Jody didn't know how much louder or how much longer she should knock. Maybe they weren't home. They were Angels; they could be anywhere. She sure as hell knew they weren't sleeping. She'd give it another minute and then call the bunker, tell them they'd have to try again another time.

She'd raised her hand to pound on the door one more time when Cas suddenly jerked the door open. "What?" he snarled.

Jody almost reached for her gun, then she realized she didn't have it. Cas's eyes were dark purple, he had his blade out, and his expression was muderous.

Jody made herself smile. "You're not going to stab me, are you, Cas?"

Jody. He took a deep breath and stowed the blade. "Sorry, Jody," he said, trying to smile in return. "You can't be too careful. Especially when you've had the kind of year we've had."

She couldn't deny he was right about that, but the expression on his face when he'd opened the door had been a lot more than just simple wariness. And what was up with his eyes?

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Jody was on alert, but she reminded herself that Cas was an Angel, and she knew from the guys that he wasn't always smooth when it came to the social graces.

"Can I come in, Cas?" Jody asked him.

Oh. Yes. She would want to do that, wouldn't she? Well, he had opened the door to her, and he could not think of a plausible reason not to let her come in. He opened the door wider, and Jody walked in.

Nice place, she thought. The kitchen and dining area amused her, but then, they did have human friends, herself included. She walked into the living room. "Where's Gail?" she asked Cas.

"She's upstairs," he answered.

"Ask her to come down," Jody said lightly.

"Yes. Sure," Cas said. "I'll be right back."

He left the room and headed up the stairs. Jody looked at the photos hanging on the wall above the couch and grinned. She knew about the TV show, and the guys had told her about the Supernatural convention in Las Vegas. These guys were the stars of the show, she knew, but she could see the resemblance. What a cute and funny thing to do. The guys had to be wrong. They'd told her quite a few stories, both good and bad, about Cas and Gail and their adventures, and at no time did Jody ever get the impression that they could have a relationship that was less than loving. The men were probably just overreacting. Jody had been a cop for many years, and she had seen lots of things, probably even more than Dean, who thought he was so worldly. What happened behind closed doors between two consenting adults was not always black or white. Jody would never tell any of her friends this, but she had once tried her handcuffs with a guy, just to see what it was like. And she had kind of enjoyed it. So this might be one of those types of situations. As long as Gail was OK with it, who were they to judge? Maybe Angels needed a break from being so Angelic all the time.

Cas rushed into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Jody's downstairs. She's in the living room, and she wants to see you."

Jody? Gail was surprised. She knew that Jody had gone back home. But she was here now? Why?

She started to get up, but Cas pushed her back down. "I believe we were in the middle of something," he said, smiling. He undid his pants and grabbed her, pulling her towards him. "I don't like to be interrupted."

"Cas," she tried to protest. She wasn't ready, and it hurt.

"Sorry, no time for finesse," he said cheerfully. "I'll make it up to you after she leaves, I promise. I love you, Gail. Always remember that."

But it wasn't feeling like love right now, it was feeling like...no, she wasn't going to say that word. She couldn't even think it. If she did, she would lose her mind. If Jody wasn't downstairs, maybe she would have tried to push him off and take her chances. But now was not the time to make a stand, not when Jody could run back to the guys and tell them whatever she would tell them.

So she tried to make the best of it, since it was happening anyway. She kissed him, using her tongue, and murmured, "Touch me, Cas. Please."

He smiled. He'd be glad to do that. They were on the same page. He reached down and started stroking her, and soon she was moving with him. She buried her face in his shoulder, whimpering, putting their visitor out of her mind. The more she enjoyed this, the less it would hurt, and God help her, she was enjoying it now.

"Good girl," Cas said in her ear. "Good girl." Then he couldn't talk at all. She was licking his neck, and he buried himself in her, groaning. He held her tightly for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Then he continued to stroke her, and a moment later, she was moaning and clutching him, saying his name over and over again in his ear.

He kissed her once she'd regained her breath. "Get dressed," he told her. "We don't want to keep our visitor waiting." He helped her off the bed, then put his arm around her when she reeled a bit. "Easy does it," he said, smiling.

Gail's head was swimming, and her body was sore. But she had to pull it together. She grabbed a fresh top and pair of pants from the closet and said, "Tell her I'll be down in a minute." She took the clothes with her, opening the door to the hallway. She'd better wash up for a moment, at the very least. And check her appearance, too. Hopefully, the new marks she'd acquired this morning wouldn't have time to show yet.

Jody was seated on the couch when Cas came back down the stairs. "Gail will be down in a minute," he said, smiling pleasantly. "She's just freshening up." He had his blue contacts in now. He'd realized with a start that he hadn't had them in when he'd first opened the door, but Jody hadn't reacted. Odd.

Jody looked at him. She didn't know what to think now. They'd left her down here cooling her heels for a bit longer than she'd expected, and at one point she could have sworn she'd heard some decidedly non-Angelic sounds coming from upstairs. And now Cas was telling her that Gail needed to "freshen up". Would they really have done that when they knew she was here, waiting? Then she shrugged inwardly. Jody was indeed a lot more open-minded than her friends knew, and she had arrived unannounced, after all. Maybe they'd been at the point of no return. She knew how that got sometimes. But it's not like they'd marched down here and done it on the coffee table in front of her, or anything. She decided to be amused. It was a good thing she'd been the one to visit, and not one of the guys. Frank would've popped a blood vessel.

Gail came down the stairs. She had to walk a bit slowly because she was pretty much sore all over. She came into the living room and smiled at Jody. "Hi," Gail said to her. "What brings you here?"

"I was just in the neighbourhood and I thought I'd stop by," Jody said lightly. "How are you, Gail?"

She made no move to hug Gail, and Gail was glad. She'd better have Crowley tend to her before Sam and Dean went out on the road, or she'd be sore for about a year after the goodbye hugs.

Jody wasn't much of a hugger, anyway. She'd considered it when she saw Gail moving slowly down the stairs, to see if she could gauge anything from that, but it wasn't the way she usually was with acquaintances. If Jody wanted Gail to trust her, she had to be natural with her. But she had noticed how gingerly Gail was moving, and Jody made a mental check mark. There could be a number of explanations for that, though, including what she thought she'd heard taking place just a few minutes ago.

Jody smiled, both at that thought, and because she wanted Gail to warm to her enough to think of her as a friend. "Are you free for that shopping trip you promised me?" she asked Gail.

Gail was puzzled. "What, you mean now?

Jody shrugged. "Why not?"

Cas was suspicious. Jody lived in Sioux Falls, but she just happened to be here in their neighbourhood? And why the sudden need to take Gail shopping? This had Winchester written all over it. But what would they be looking to accomplish? He didn't think they suspected anything, and Gail wouldn't be too likely to confide in Jody; the women barely knew each other. He could hardly forbid her to go, though. He didn't really want her to go, but Jody might be alerted if he raised an objection. And Gail might be angry with him if he tried. She pretty much let him have his way with her in the bedroom now, but he'd better not push it too much. He wanted her to have every reason to want to stay with him. He gave her plenty of reason in there, he knew, but she had always had a bit of an independent streak, something he had found out the hard way a few times. He couldn't lock her up by being too heavy-handed too quickly. She'd do that to herself once the Winchesters were gone and she realized that Cas supplied everything she needed.

Gail looked at Cas for a moment, and Jody noted that, too. Another check mark, maybe. "I do need a few things," Gail said to Cas. He'd torn a few of her outfits, and she should really get a few sweaters to wear around their friends. At least it was winter now, so she had an excuse to wear sweaters. She wouldn't bother about the underwear, though. She had the feeling that anything she bought wouldn't last past its first wearing.

"Well, then, you should go," Cas said to her. "You've got the bank card. Go nuts."

Gail laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to buy that much."

Cas gave her a hug, and he whispered in her ear, "No underwear, though." He licked her ear and felt her shiver in response. He wasn't worried.

Gail had picked out a few outfits to try on, and so had Jody. Jody didn't really need anything, but that wasn't the point of this little excursion. She needed to get a look at Gail, at the places her clothes were hiding. This would take a little finesse.

"You go in first," Jody said to Gail. "I'll hand you the stuff as you need it."

"Don't bother. I'll just take everything in at once," Gail said.

Jody pointed to the sign on the wall. It read that only 5 items were allowed in at a time, and Gail had more than that.

"So what?" Gail said, shrugging. "Who's gonna know?"

"I will," the sales clerk said, giving her a stare. "Sorry, but those are the rules."

Gail rolled her eyes. Nazi. She handed a few things to Jody. "Thanks," Gail said to her. "I'll let you know when I'm ready." She would make sure she was fully clothed when she asked Jody to switch out some items, Gail thought.

She took off the clothes she had worn to the store, and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Holy crap. Yeah, there was no way Jody could see her like this. Gail would have been shocked to see herself looking like this if she weren't so used to seeing it by now.

Suddenly, the door to the change room opened and Jody poked her head in. "I just wanted to tell you - " she stopped talking, struck speechless at the sight of Gail's body. There wasn't any place Jody could see that didn't have black and green bruises, red welts, or angry-looking abrasions on it. How could she even move without suffering excruciating pain?

Gail grabbed a sweater and pants and held them in front of herself. "Jody! What are you doing?"

Jody had to say something. "I - I was just going to tell you that I have to go to the bathroom," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - " She swallowed. "I'll be right back."

She retreated from the change room and threw the clothes she'd been holding at the sales clerk. Jody had been lying to Gail, of course; she'd had that all planned, just to try to get a look at Gail, see what, if anything, they were dealing with. But now she really did need that washroom. The sales clerk pointed around the corner when Jody gasped her request, and Jody went hurtling into the first stall she came to and vomited into the toilet. Oh, God. My God. It wasn't anything close to what the guys had warned her she might see. It was much, much worse. What kind of a monster was Cas? And what were they going to do now?

Gail locked the door to the change room, and her hands were shaking. Too little, too late, she thought ruefully. It was her own stupid fault too, for not locking the stupid door. Who came into a change room and didn't lock the door? An idiot, that's who. Jody had pretty much seen it all, and how the hell was Gail going to explain? She thought of every bad made-for-TV movie she had ever seen. I walked into a door. I fell down the stairs. And she'd sit and yell at the TV: You need to pack your bags and kick his ass, and not necessarily in that order! Sometimes Frank would be there, and he would smirk every time she did that. "If it makes you that mad, why do you keep watching?" he'd asked her, amused. "Because I need to see the moment when she finally stands up to him," she would retort, and her brother would roll his eyes and pick up a book or a magazine. Then, when the woman in the movie finally came to her senses and left the bastard, Gail would clap and cheer. "Bonus points if she hauls off and smacks him," she would crow to Frank. "Never gonna happen," he would retort. "Dinner?" she would say, grinning. "It's a bet," he would say. Then he would be forced to keep an eye on the rest of the movie to see if he won the bet. Usually, the woman in the movie just cried buckets, but once in a while, one of them would clock the bastard, and Gail would get up and do what she called the "dance of victory". Frank always claimed he hated that, but he'd actually thought it was pretty funny.

But Cas had never raised a hand to her in violence, Gail thought. He loved her, sometimes a bit too much, maybe. Besides, he would never dare. One time, and that would be it. But what was the difference, when you came right down to it? Look at the way she looked, and the pain she felt. And he was getting worse. Now that he knew Crowley could heal her, Cas seemed less concerned about her injuries at his hands. Could be the only thing holding him back from doing even more to her was the fear of discovery. Well, that ship had sailed now. Jody would go running to Sam and Dean, and they would tell Bobby, and Lord knows who else would find out. Had Gail subconsciously left the change room door unlocked on purpose, hoping that Jody would find out? Every one of those bad, pulpy movies had a cop or a social worker, saying that the victim had to ask for help before they could give it. Was that what she had just done?

Jody tapped softly on the change room door. "Gail? Gail. Come on, let's talk."

Gail had put her original clothes back on, leaving everything she'd picked out to try on hanging in the room. She no longer cared. What was she going to say to Jody? She thought about just popping out of here, but that would put Jody in an awkward position. How could Jody explain her friend's sudden disappearance from a locked, enclosed change room in full view of the sales clerk and other humans? This wasn't Jody's fault; she was just trying to be friends.

Maybe it would be good to have a friend to confide in. But Jody went way back with the Winchester brothers, and with Bobby. There was no way Gail could expect her to keep her mouth shut.

Gail sighed. She unlocked the door to the change room, avoiding Jody's eyes.

"I'm taking you for a drink," Jody told Gail.

"I don't - " Gail started to say automatically, but Jody cut her off.

"Well, I do," Jody said firmly, "and I don't like to drink alone. Humour me."

"What are you going to do, Jody?" Gail asked her. As if she didn't already know.

"I told you, I'm going to buy you a drink," Jody replied as they walked out of the store. "Then you'll say whatever it is you feel like saying, and I promise you I'll listen with an open mind. Then, when you're done, I'll say whatever it is I feel like saying. Then we'll see where we're at."

Totally reasonable. Jody was actually mad enough to spit nails, but she wasn't going to show her anger to Gail, not yet, anyway. Gail had that skittish look, and Jody was well aware that she could just disappear at any time. But she was here now, allowing Jody to lead her into the bar next door to the mall. Maybe that meant she was ready to talk, and to listen.

Jody had ordered two shots of whiskey and a beer, and after a moment's hesitation, Gail ordered a glass of wine. She felt like she needed something to do with her hands, and psychologically speaking, if she ever felt like she needed a drink, it was now.

Jody threw back both the shots immediately. Then she just stared at Gail, making Gail feel uncomfortable. She stared down at her glass of wine and then picked it up, giving a small shrug. What the hell. If she was going to live in a Demon house, she might as well re-acquire the taste. She took a big swallow.

Jody was still looking at her, and Gail felt like she had to say something. Could she make Jody understand where she was coming from? How could she, when she didn't even understand it herself?

"Have you ever been in love, Jody?" Gail asked her.

Jody fought to keep her expression steady, but inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. Here it came. Oh, I love him, and he loves me, and he promised me he'd never do it again the last fifteen times.

"Yeah, I have," Jody answered her. She had to keep the dialogue going. Bad movies or no, Jody knew it was very hard to help someone in this situation if they were resistant and defensive.

Gail was silent for another moment. She'd expected Jody to start in on her right away; that's what Gail would have done. But Jody was just looking at her quietly and calmly.

"Did Frank tell you anything about the way I grew up?" Gail asked her. "What happened to our parents? And with Crowley?"

Jody nodded. "He told me pretty much everything, Gail. But that was from his point of view. How about you tell me from yours?"

Gail took another swig of wine, then she sighed and began to talk. She told Jody what it was like to be on the run with your Hunter brother, fleeing the home you'd grown up in and the sight of your murdered parents' bodies. Frank got a false ID and rented a car, and most of the places they could afford to stay in didn't ask too many questions about their clientele.

So she'd grown up with only Frank for company, and when he'd gone out at night, doing what he had to do, Gail had watched TV or read. He'd buy her the occasional book when he could, and once in a while Frank would liberate a book or two from the library. Technically, that was stealing, but he needed to keep her occupied when he couldn't be there, and he wanted his sister to keep up her vocabulary. There was no point enrolling her in school when they could never stay in one place long enough, and there was really not much point in her receiving a formal education considering the kind of life they led. But Gail had been a bright young girl, and she'd loved to read and to use her imagination.

She HAD loved to read, Gail told Jody; she still did, though she didn't have much time to do it any more. But, really, who needed to read fantasy novels when you were living one?

Jody couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. She could think of a couple of other genres that probably described Gail's current situation better. But she'd promised to hear Gail out, so she took a sip of her beer and continued to listen.

Gail told her about the kidnapping, and meeting Sam and Dean. Jody smiled. Her boys, the heroes. She could just picture it, too. Gail was no longer a child at that point, she was a woman, but she must have been very scared. Sam and Dean would have taken care of her, Jody knew; that was what they did best.

Gail didn't include everything in her retelling; she didn't mention Dean having had the Mark of Cain when she'd met the brothers, her own special abilities at the time, or the things she had done for and with Crowley in his den when the King of Hell had been dosing her. She didn't know Jody all that well, after all. But she did give Jody an overview of what that time in her life had been like. When Frank died, Gail had become dependent on the Winchesters, and especially on Cas. Sam and Dean had filled in as surrogate brothers, and Castiel had filled a need that Gail had for a man to love and who loved her, a hero who would do anything for her. He had been patient and kind throughout her grief over Frank, and when Gail herself had died, he had taken her to Heaven to meet God. She'd chosen to become an Angel because of him; not only to be with him, but because she wanted to be like him.

Then came the drama in Dallas, when Gail found out that Frank was in Hell and that Crowley had turned him into a Demon. Around the same time, Gail found out about Castiel's checkered past. He had voluntarily confessed everything to her when they'd been living together for a while, and he had been very penitent about the questionable things he'd done.

"You were living together?" Jody asked curiously. She remembered having joked with Sam at the time about whether Angels were intimate with each other, or could be, and neither of them had really known.

Gail smiled faintly. "You're curious about whether anything was going on. Everybody seems to wonder about that."

"If it's none of my business, just tell me," Jody told her.

Gail laughed shortly. "Don't worry about it. It's pretty much an open book now." She made a face, thinking about the tribunal. "And the answer is no, not really. We'd hold hands, hug, maybe a little smooch on a special occasion, but that was it. We were Angels, and we weren't able to do anything more than that."

This was interesting to Jody. She noted a couple of things: Gail had said they "were" Angels. It could just be semantics, but Jody filed this on her mental checklist. The other thing was that Gail was saying that they "weren't able to do anything more than that". Again, past tense.

"Anyway," Gail continued, "I was a little shocked at everything Cas was telling me, and I got on my high horse and took off." She wasn't sure why she was telling Jody this; maybe because she didn't want Jody to think that she'd always been the pushover she felt like she had turned into now. "Dean had to talk me into going back." Gail smiled at the memory.

But Jody frowned. "Dean talked you into going back to him?"

Gail frowned now, too. She didn't like the expression on Jody's face. She knew what Jody must be thinking; Gail wasn't stupid. But Jody barely knew Cas, and she hadn't been there at the time.

"Yes, he did," Gail said, annoyed. "And he was right. I was in no position to judge anyone, least of all Cas. He rescued me from Crowley's den, he showed me how to be an Angel, and he gave me his shoulder when I lost Frank. And then Frank went and killed him. He mentioned that part, right?"

Jody nodded. "Yeah, Gail, he did. I know Frank feels terrible about that."

"Well, he should!" Gail exclaimed. In starting to relive all the memories from the beginning of her relationship with Castiel, Gail was starting to feel a wave of sentimentality for him. He was a good man; it wasn't his fault that Metatron had done this horrible thing to him, and she needed to figure out a way to fix it. She had to save him somehow. Lord knew he'd saved her enough times. And if she had to sneak around behind his back to do it, that's what she would do. But Gail still didn't want any of their friends to know about the way he was now, not if she could help it. If she could just keep it quiet for now, maybe she could find the cure, and nobody need ever know. Look at how bad Frank had been, and he was fine now.

Jody was regarding Gail calmly, but she was boiling inside. OK, so Cas USED to be a good man. But Jody had seen him in the cabin, and there had been something very wrong with him then. And now, Gail's body was looking like a science experiment. And what had been with the colour of his eyes? They'd been purple when he'd answered the door at the house. She'd never seen eyes that colour before. And he'd looked so angry. Then, she'd heard what she was pretty sure she'd heard upstairs, and then Cas had come downstairs with blue eyes, acting normal, and Gail had come down, walking so gingerly. Was Cas a Jekyll one moment, and a Hyde the next? But that didn't make any sense, either. Sam and Dean had been close to him for years, and he was like a brother to them now. They had always spoken very highly of him, even when they'd had the occasional differences of opinion. And she knew that Bobby thought Castiel was a good Angel and a loyal friend. Something just didn't add up here. Could this be Crowley's doing, somehow? Jody knew that Cas and Gail had gone back to Crowley after the incident at the cabin, and they had told their friends that Cas was OK now. Had Crowley fooled them somehow? But if that was the case, wouldn't Sam and Dean and Bobby know?

Everything came back to Gail. She lived in the same house as Cas, and from everything Jody had heard, the two were practically inseparable. But Gail was not exactly being forthcoming here. Not that Jody could blame her, in a way. They did barely know each other. And even though Jody had not said much during Gail's recitation, she realized that Gail was becoming defensive. She obviously loved Cas, and she might be protecting him. You saw that mentality in domestics all the time. Jody needed to cut through the crap somehow. But how? Should she go hard, or soft?

Jody was a cop, and she had interrogated many suspects. Reading Gail's face right now, she decided to go in soft. Gail was in love with the guy, and she was obviously feeling sentimental about the relationship and its beginnings. So Jody smiled, adopting the role of girlfriend. At least for the moment.

"The guys told me some funny stories about Las Vegas," she told Gail.

Gail thawed, answering Jody's smile with one of her own. Those were some of her best memories. She still had her photo propped up against the lamp in the bedroom of the house. Though some nights she would glance at it and frown, comparing how things had been then with how things were now. Still...

"That was the best holiday I've ever had," Gail said, a faraway look in her eyes. "So I guess they told you that we were humans that weekend. I got to eat, and drink, and sleep, and..." She looked at Jody. "I might as well say it; everybody knows anyway. That was the first time Cas and I ever had sex."

Silence. Gail was lost in the moment, remembering how shy and tentative he'd been that first time. It had felt like an act of love that weekend. Now it felt like...what, exactly? She had to admit she still loved it, but as Cas grew darker, so did what they did in the bedroom. Her body was proof of that.

"But then Metatron killed me," Gail said bluntly. "That kind of put a damper on the whole vacation."

Jody smiled briefly, then stopped. "Sorry, Gail."

"It's OK, Jody," Gail said to her. "You've gotta laugh about these things sometimes or you'll go nuts. You've probably noticed Frank has the same kind of humour."

Jody had. She actually had found it kind of refreshing. Cops were notorious for their dark sense of humour; you needed it to sustain yourself through all the crap that you saw coming from the human race. Sometimes she thought that she would rather deal with Demons and Angels; at least otherworldly beings seemed to have some kind of boundaries.

"Anyway, we were back to being Angels then, and then Heaven decided to put Cas on trial." The words came out bitterly. She still wasn't over that. Maybe she never would be. And that was the source of all their current problems, wasn't it?

"Sam and Dean told me about that," Jody said, nodding. "What was that like?"

"What do you think it was like, Jody?" Gail retorted. "Imagine having every aspect of your whole life put under a microscope. Every bad thing you've ever done, every bad thought you've ever had, put on display for everyone to see. Being judged by a bunch of old, uptight Angels who have no idea what real life is like."

"That's what it was like for you?" Jody asked, astonished. Gail was right; she couldn't imagine what that would be like.

"No, that's what it was like for Cas," Gail answered. Suddenly, it felt very important to her that Jody understand what Castiel had gone through. Gail had suffered every moment with him; Dean hadn't, Sam hadn't, and Bobby sure as hell hadn't. Even God Himself hadn't shown up until it was all over. "They railroaded him, they persecuted him, and then they killed him. And they made me watch his execution."

Jody didn't know what to say. The guys had given her a very abbreviated version of the events, but they hadn't been there for the ordeal. Now she was beginning to understand the kind of bond Gail felt she shared with Cas, and why she was still clinging to him now.

"That's horrible," Jody said softly, and she really meant it.

"Damn right," Gail said, tears filling her eyes. She took another swig of wine, trying to compose herself. "Nobody knows what that was like. Nobody."

She sniffled back the tears. "And you know what he said to me before they killed him?" Gail continued. "He said to tell Sam and Dean that he loved them, and that he loved me, and to remember him together and then he'd never truly be gone. Does that sound like a bad guy to you?" The tears were falling from her eyes now. "He's only ever loved us, and every time he turns around, somebody's trying to hurt him, or kill him. How fair is that?"

Jody looked at Gail with compassion. She had the feeling that Gail had never been able to unburden herself like this to anyone before. Frank would have been the most likely candidate, but he'd been in Hell at the time, being Crowley's bitch. Life really hadn't been too kind to the brother and sister.

"Then we did receive a miracle, but it took the King of Hell to provide it," Gail went on. "He was the one who brought Cas back to life. Crowley. The guy I thought was our worst enemy. I have him to thank for returning Cas to me. Not Heaven, not Angels, not even God. What do you make of that?"

Jody thought about that. At this point, she wasn't so sure Crowley had done Cas much of a favour, or Gail, either. But Jody had a passing acquaintance with the King of Hell herself, and she knew that Crowley never did anything that went against his own best interests. This made her highly suspicious. And now Gail was talking about him almost affectionately.

"Yeah, but what was the price?" Jody blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Gail shot back, even though she had been wondering that herself recently.

"I was at the cabin, remember?" Jody continued quietly. "I saw what happened between Crowley and Cas."

"Yeah, so what?" Gail snapped. She was on shaky ground here, and the small part of Demon still inside her was making her angry. Maybe the alcohol had execerbated it. Gail was now starting to wonder why she was even bothering to try to talk to Jody. She clearly didn't get it. "Cas saved us both that day, again, and it was the extra juice Crowley gave him that helped him to do it."

Jody stared at Gail. Wow. Was she ever rationalizing now. You couldn't shake hands with the Devil and not expect to get sulphur on your sleeve; Gail had to know that, and Castiel should really know that. "Yeah, but what about the after-effects?" she asked Gail.

Gail frowned. Jody was just fishing now. "What are you talking about?" she countered.

"I heard Crowley say he wasn't taking all the Demon out of Cas," Jody said evenly.

Gail shrugged. "That was just Crowley being Crowley. He's a smartass sometimes." Incredibly, she smiled. Jody wasn't sure Gail was even aware she was doing it. Now Jody was wondering if there was something going on with Gail, too. With everything the King of Hell had put them all through, Gail was smiling, talking about Crowley as if he were a recalcitrant child? This conversation was getting stranger and stranger.

Gail drained her glass. "You know what? I actually kind of enjoyed that," she said, holding up the empty glass. "What do you think? Should we order another round? I can buy; it's not like I bought any clothes today, or anything." She smiled at Jody.

OK, this was getting really weird now. Jody knew that Angels didn't really drink, but here was Gail, smiling and wanting another. But then again, the wine seemed to be loosening her tongue, so Jody held up a hand and asked the server for another round when she came to the table.

When the drinks came, Gail took another big swallow. She was starting to feel tipsy now. She hadn't felt this way since Las Vegas, when she and Sam had had a few drinks on that last afternoon. But she'd been a human then. What was she now, exactly? Part Demon, she supposed, courtesy of the man she loved. So she might as well revel in it.

"I think Frank likes you," she told Jody, a mischevious smile creeping onto her face.

"I like him, too," Jody said noncommittally, taking a sip of her fresh beer.

"Then I guess we'd better get along," Gail teased. "Who knows, you might be my sister-in-law someday."

Jody made a face, playing along. "Well, I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that." But the truth was that she had liked Frank a lot, and she hoped she'd see him again soon. He had all the qualities she liked in a man. He'd treated her as an equal, not a delicate flower nor a ball-busting feminist, and Jody appreciated that.

"Well, you could do a lot worse," Gail said, smiling. "I'm just saying."

Jody decided to take advantage of the current mood of conversation. "Well, he is good-looking," she acknowledged. "And so is Cas. He must have to beat the female Angels off with a stick."

Gail frowned momentarily, thinking of Aurielle. No, just with a blade. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" she said to Jody. "But I guess he just seemed larger than life to most of them. He sure seemed that way to me," she said sadly.

"And now?" Jody said, pushing.

Gail took another swallow of wine, sighing. "I love him, and I know he loves me. But..." A lump was forming in her throat.

"But, what?" Jody said quietly. She was afraid to even breathe. She didn't want Gail to retreat until she said what she needed to say.

"Have you ever..." Gail started to say, then she tried again. "Have you ever loved someone so much you didn't think you could live one second of your life without them? And then one day, you didn't think you could stand to spend another second with them?"

Jody's eyes narrowed. Was Gail about to say what Jody suspected she'd been needing to say all along?

But Gail clapped a hand over her mouth then. What the hell was she saying? She had been about to tell Jody everything. She couldn't stab Cas in the back like that. No matter how many sores he had given her, no matter how worried she'd been about how dark he was becoming, Gail could never give him up that way. He hadn't given up on her when she'd been two steps away from being Crowley's bride, and she couldn't give up on him now. She'd find the cure for what was wrong with him. She'd pour it down his throat if she had to, and if he killed her because of it, Gail owed him that much, and so much more.

"I have to go," Gail said, panicked. She winked out of the bar.

She went to the house, but Cas wasn't there. He'd left a note on the bed. He'd gone to the bunker; come there when she was done. She was puzzled; why hadn't he just called her on Angel Radio? Or was he so far gone that he couldn't access it any more? Was she? She had to figure something out, and fast.

Gail popped into the library area. Sam and Dean were sitting at the table with beers in front of them, and incredibly, Cas had a bottle of whiskey in front of him, and it was half-empty, and so was his glass. Had he been doing the same thing she had just done with Jody, or had he tried to? What had he told them?

She walked up to Cas, kissing him on the forehead. "Hi, guys," she said casually. "What's happening?"

Dean smirked at her. "Ah, just more of the same. Never give an Angel whiskey. Especially this one." He nodded towards Cas. "I think he's drunk. 'I love you guys. I love Gail.' I think we need to switch him to beer. Or maybe coffee."

Gail smiled. Phew. But now she felt guilty. Cas had been telling these guys how much he loved her, and she had been telling Jody she didn't know if she could stand to be with him any longer. Who was the monster in this situation?

Sam's cell phone rang. "Sorry, guys, I'll be right back," he said, picking it up and retreating into the hall.

Cas put his arm around Gail's waist. "I'm so glad to see you," he said, smiling up at her.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Here we go. No wonder Bobby left."

Gail looked at him. "Bobby was here?"

"Yeah, he was here for a while," Dean said. He'd been coached on what to say. As soon as Cas showed up out of the blue, Bobby had hightailed it back to Heaven, pleading business. They didn't want Cas to think they were ganging up on him, and they had thought it best to keep him here until they received Jody's report. At least they'd know where he was, then. Dean had offered him a drink, and not only had Cas taken it, but he had said to leave the bottle. Weird. Cas had had the occasional drink with the Winchesters, but Dean had never seen him do that before. He'd told them that Gail had gone shopping with Jody, and he needed the company. So Dean had encouraged Cas to have a few belts. Like Jody with Gail, Dean had wondered if the alcohol would loosen Cas's tongue.

Cas had fallen into a funk once Gail and Jody had left the house. That sliver of Angel was talking to him again, telling him that she was gone for good this time. Women confided in each other, ke knew, and Gail would probably tell Jody about how he had been abusing her. Jody would convince Gail to leave him, and really, who could blame her? So, instead of going to Crowley, he had come to the bunker, intending to talk to Dean and Sam, really talk to them, before it was too late. But he hadn't had any idea how to begin, and he'd thought the whiskey would give him the courage to say what he needed to say. But just as he had been trying to work up to it, here she was, and he was so grateful to see her that he couldn't speak at all.

Sam was listening to Jody's story, and he was so shocked that he had to lean against the wall. "Holy crap," he breathed, as Jody described what she'd seen in the change room. Then she told him what Gail had said right before she had popped out of the bar, and Sam's heart sank. Cas had come here, full of words of love, and he had been abusing Gail to the point of making Jody ill, and Jody was a cop. That was saying a lot. Now what Gail had said to him after the dramatic training room session was starting to make sense. But...Cas? That went against everything they knew about him. Sam knew he'd sooner take out his own blade and cut off a part of himself than hurt Gail intentionally. Jody had said she suspected Crowley's hand in this, but both Cas and Gail had said that Crowley had removed every bit of Demon from Cas. Even if Crowley had lied, why would they have told their friends that he had, then?

Jody told Sam where she was, and that she still had the car that Bobby had loaned her, and Sam told her that she might as well head home. They could clue Bobby in later. But right now, he and Dean had to deal with Cas. Sam was usually a pretty even-keel kind of guy, but right now he was ready to go toe-to-toe with Cas over what he was apparently doing to Gail. She was special to Sam, and she was like a sister to Dean. Thank God Frank wasn't here.

Sam came back into the library, and he was staring at Cas. "I just received a very interesting phone call," Sam said coolly.

Cas had pulled Gail onto his lap, and he had been kissing her on the cheek, again and again. He was just so glad to see her. He looked at Sam, puzzled. Why was Sam looking at him that way?

"Can you come here for a minute, Gail?" Sam asked her.

She was wary. Had that been Jody on the phone? Was Sam going to ask Gail about what she had said to Jody? How could she explain that to Cas?

"Please," Sam said.

She got off Cas's lap and walked over to Sam.

"I'm sorry, Gail, but I have to do this," Sam said, and he grabbed her top and lifted it as decently as he could. And there was the evidence, just as Jody and Dean had said. And Jody had advised that the rest of her was even worse.

Dean had seen a glimpse before in the garage, but what he saw now shocked him even more. He looked at Cas, open-mouthed.

Sam strode over to Cas and punched him in the face, putting everything he had into it. "You bastard!" he exclaimed.

Cas's head reeled back, and a trickle of blood escaped from his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand and looked at Sam. The blow had reawakened the poison in his blood, and he said, "You always wanted her for yourself, didn't you, Sam? It killed you that she chose me."

"Shut up," Sam said, and he punched Cas again. Maybe Cas had hit a bit of a nerve with that comment, but he wasn't going to let Cas sit there and pretend like what he had done to Gail was in any way acceptable.

Gail rushed over to Sam and said, "That's enough! What are you doing, Sam? What's the matter with you?"

He wheeled on her. "What's the matter with me? What's the matter with HIM?"

"Good question," Dean said. He was impressed with his brother; he only regretted he hadn't done that first.

"Nothing's the matter with him," Gail said defensively. She had gotten so used to excusing Cas's behaviour that this was her go-to response now.

"Really? Really?" Dean was now starting to wonder of there was something wrong with Gail, too. He stood and faced her. "Look at yourself! What the hell, Gail?"

Gail couldn't take this, not from both of them. But she still couldn't turn on Cas.

The Demon in Cas pushed aside the waning Angel part of him, and he looked at the brothers. "That's between me and her, and it's none of your business," he snarled.

Dean turned to him. "Really?" he shouted. "Well, maybe we're making it our business! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Cas said, slowly rising to his feet. "She likes it."

Dean was the one to punch Cas this time, and Cas reeled back from the blow, but kept his feet. "Leave it alone, Dean," he said in his quiet voice.

"Like hell I will," Dean said. His voice was quiet, too. He had faced monsters, bad Angels, and Demons, he had been killed by Crowley, and he had had the Mark of Cain on his arm, but Dean had never felt as angry in his whole life as he felt now. Cas had been like a brother to him all these years, and Dean would gladly have died for him; in fact, he almost had, several times. But Cas was a stranger to him now. How dare he stand there and say that what he had done to Gail was OK? And why was Gail defending him?

"Let's go home, Gail," Cas said, extending his hand to her, but Sam stepped in front of her.

"If you think we're letting her go anywhere with you, you're crazy," he said to Cas.

"Shouldn't that be up to her to decide?" Cas said to him. He blinked his eyes. The contacts were starting to hurt like a son of a bitch. It was as if the Demon in him was trying to get out of every orifice now. He put out his hands and blinked them out.

"Gail has my blood in her now," he said to Sam, and his eyes flashed purple now that the contacts were gone. "She belongs with me. She belongs to me, not to you," he said to Sam.

The brothers were shocked to see Cas's eyes. What the hell was that, now?

"Yeah, and she was the one who suggested the contacts," Cas said sarcastically. "So if you think she's an innocent party in all of this, you're wrong."

Sam and Dean looked incredulously at Gail, and her heart sank. It was true. She had been far from innocent in this whole thing. But she was at the moment of truth here. Would she go with Cas and continue to sink with him into further depravity, allowing him to hurt her night after night? Keep letting Crowley touch her all over her body just so she could withstand another night? Continue to wash his bloody clothes and smile to their friends' faces, telling them that everything was OK? And how long before he started incorporating his blade into the bedroom as foreplay?

"He's right," Gail told the brothers, "but it has to end now. I'll tell you everything."

Chapter 4 - The Cure Is Worse Than The Disease

Cas looked at Gail incredulously. She couldn't mean what she was saying. They had been together for a year now, and he had been very good to her. But now she was going to turn on him this way? Side with Sam and Dean against him?

"There's something wrong with Cas," Gail said, looking at him sadly.

And the award for Understatement of the Year goes to Gail, Dean thought wryly. Of course there was something wrong with him. Just look at him. Look at her.

"Gail, no," Cas said, moving towards her. But Dean blocked him, and Sam nudged Gail behind him with his hand. There was no way Cas was getting near her.

"Metatron did something to him at the cabin," Gail said. "Jason told me Metatron put something in the potion that Cas drank."

Cas was startled. The potion! Jason hadn't told him that. When had Gail spoken to him?

The brothers looked at each other. OK, that explained a lot. They knew this wasn't Cas.

"Is he a Demon, or what?" Dean asked Gail, still glaring at Cas.

Gail sighed. "I don't know, exactly. I guess whatever Metatron put into the potion latched onto the Demon he had in him and...I don't know," she said again, shaking her head.

"Well, what do we do about it?" Sam asked her. He was watching Cas too. Cas wasn't doing anything at the moment, but he was glaring at them and he was breathing heavily, in and out. It looked like he was fighting to keep it together.

"I don't know if there's anything we CAN do," Gail said quietly. "Jason didn't know what Metatron put in there. But he did say that Metatron told him the change would be permanent."

Dean shook his head. No. No way. He wouldn't accept that. Metatron had to be lying.

"You're a lying bitch," Cas said quietly. It was the Demon speaking, but underneath, Castiel was afraid that she might be right. Was this what he was going to be like for eternity now?

Sam was appalled. He'd have never believed Cas could say something like that to Gail. He opened his mouth to rebuke Cas, but Gail spoke first.

"I wish I was," she said sadly. It had hurt her badly to hear Cas say that to her, but it didn't particularly surprise her. Now that she was talking about it out loud and it was out in the open, she realized how bad he'd really gotten. She'd been keeping herself in denial about it for so long, but she'd known it was going to come to this eventually, hadn't she?

"Go home, Gail," Sam said. "Pack your things. We'll keep him here with us until you get back."

Cas's heart sank, but he was angry, too. "What do you mean, 'pack your things'?" Cas said to Sam.

"What do you think he means?" Dean retorted. "She's staying here with us until we figure out how to cure you."

"I don't think so," Cas scoffed. But a part of him was scared, really scared now. Would she really leave him? No, he couldn't believe that. Sam was just trying to take her away from him. But she loved him, not Sam, and Sam was just going to have to get over it.

Gail moved out from behind Sam. She needed to look at Cas's face. He looked so upset. She really didn't want to leave him, she just wanted to cure him.

Cas looked at her. "You're not going to do it, are you? I need you," he told Gail. He looked so sad now. Maybe she didn't have to go that far. Now that Sam and Dean knew, they could help her keep him in check. And now that he knew the Winchesters knew, he would be more gentle with her. They could all figure this out together, as a team, like they'd always done.

She started walking towards Cas, but Sam put his arm in front of her, stopping her. He couldn't let her go to Cas. If she did, Cas could just wink them out of there, and God only knew what would happen to her then. Cas was looking at her with those strange purple eyes, and Sam wasn't buying his act.

Cas was becoming enraged. "She wants to come home with me, Sam. Let her come."

"No," Sam told him. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Now Gail was starting to get annoyed. "Will everyone quit speaking for me?" she said. "It's my decision to make, isn't it?" She pushed Sam's arm aside and started to walk toward Cas. Sam didn't want to grab her and hurt her further, but he couldn't let her go, either. So he followed her, saying, "Don't go, Gail. He'll hurt you if you do." He couldn't believe he was saying that about Cas, but Sam had a bad feeling. If he and Dean let her go home with Cas, they'd never forgive themselves.

She'd reached the spot where Dean was standing in front of Cas, and Dean realized that Gail was going to do it. She was actually going to leave with Cas, after everything he had done to her. Dean had to do something. He grabbed her arm.

"Ow!" she said, and Dean winced, but he kept his hold on her arm.

"Who's hurting her now?" Cas said bitterly.

Dean looked at him. He had to be kidding.

"Let go of her, Dean," Cas said quietly. Dean recognized that tone, and sure enough, Cas went into his blazer and pulled out his blade. "She wants to come with me."

"Not gonna happen," Dean told him. Sam nodded in agreement.

Cas smirked. "Do you really think you can stop me from taking her?" If he wanted to, he could just raise his hand and knock both brothers into next week. But that would be so impersonal, and he hadn't had a real challenge in a long time. "Let's see you try, then."

But Gail frowned. "Stop it, Cas. No one's fighting anyone. If I come home with you, it'll be because I want to, not because you're 'taking' me."

He looked at her calmly. "Do you want to?"

Did she? A very large part of her still did. But Dean still had a hold on her arm, and he said, "Don't do it, Gail. Please."

Suddenly, Cas came at him with the blade. Dean hadn't been ready, and Cas slashed his arm. "Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled. He let go of Gail and grabbed his arm, which was bleeding through his shirt.

Cas froze. What was he doing? He had just attacked his best friend. And why? Gail wanted to come home with him; it was obvious from the way she'd been looking at him. There was no need for this. But he had been so angry. How dare these two try to prevent her from being with Cas? She belonged to him, not them.

"Come here, Gail," Cas said quietly. "Don't make me say it again."

She gave him a baleful look then. She'd wanted to come, but now he was using that tone with her, and saying that? "Really, Cas?" she said, adopting her own quiet tone. "And what would happen if you had to say it again?"

Cas's mouth snapped shut. What WOULD happen? He honestly didn't know. Why would he say that to her?

Gail moved forward now, and she thought he was coming to him, but she put her hands on Dean's arm, healing him. "I'm sorry, Dean," she said to him. She gave him a hug, and he hugged her back. "Ow," she said. He was holding her a bit too tightly. "Sorry, Gail," Dean said, and his grip loosened immediately. "That's OK," she said into his chest. She didn't want to let go, though. She'd been needing a real hug for quite a while now.

Cas's temper rose again. First Sam, now Dean. "Let go of her, Dean," he said again.

But Dean didn't want to, not yet. Gail's body was shaking now as she started to cry. She obviously needed the comfort. Cas was scaring her. Dean knew Cas wouldn't come at him with the knife as long as he was holding onto Gail.

But Cas did. He'd been going for Dean's arm again, but at the last second Gail moved, and Cas stuck her in the shoulder instead.

She let go of Dean and looked at Cas. She didn't yell, she didn't say anything, she just looked at him.

Cas backed away, horrified at what he'd done. He dropped the blade and covered his face with his hands.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance, and then they rushed Cas. "Go into the training room and get the handcuffs, Gail!" Sam yelled. Cas was struggling, trying to get his arms free, but they knew they had to keep him subdued or he could kill them.

Gail knew that, too, so she ran down the hall and grabbed the handcuffs from the weapons table. She ran back to where the men were scuffling and Sam grabbed them from her. He pulled Cas's arms begind them and clicked the cuffs around Cas's wrists. Then he took one of Cas's arms and Dean took the other, and they hustled him down the hall and into the room where they had held Crowley, once Sam had entered the code with his other hand.

They shoved him into the chair that sat in the middle of the Devil's Trap and stepped back.

Cas was breathing heavily, but he had stopped struggling. The handcuffs were hurting him, but he wasn't too worried about them. Even though they had sigils on them, he could slip them easily now. He wouldn't do that in front of the brothers, though. The less they knew about that, the better.

"Do you think you're going to hold me prisoner here?" Cas asked them, sneering.

"Prisoner? No," Sam said sarcastically. "Just consider this your new home for a while."

Cas looked down at the Devil's Trap. Clever. There was no way he could get out of it, not the way he was now. So even if they left him alone and he slipped the cuffs, he wouldn't be able to leave the circle. How was he going to get free and get Gail? He could see her standing behind the brothers, bleeding from where he'd stabbed her.

"This chair won't hold me for long," Cas said defiantly. But he was bluffing. It would, as long as the Trap was around it.

"No?" Dean said. "Tell you what. If you can stand up right now and walk out of this room, I'll drive Gail over to your house myself." Cas glared at him. "Yeah, I thought so," Dean said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Gail looked at Cas sadly. She wasn't sure what she hated more, the fact that he was in this chair now, or the fact that he couldn't get out of it. She'd known what he was, of course, but this was hard to watch.

"At least take the cuffs off me so I can heal her," Cas said to the brothers. Gail smiled despite herself. He couldn't be that bad off if he could still say something like that. And she'd seen his reaction when he'd accidentally stuck her. Her Castiel was still in there; she knew it.

Cas saw her smile. He knew she still loved him. If he could just get her away from Sam and Dean's interference, he could make her very happy.

Dean turned his back on Cas, looking at Gail. "We'll get Bobby to heal you," he told her.

"No!" she blurted out.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Dean asked her.

"I don't want him involved in this," Gail said. "It's bad enough you guys know now. I don't want this getting all over Heaven."

"He's God, not a gossip columnist," Sam said dryly. "And he pretty much already knows."

Gail sighed. Great. "Frank?" she asked him.

Sam shook his head. "No."

"Good," she said. "Let's keep it that way. Tell Jody to keep her mouth shut."

The brothers looked at her incredulously. Jody had been trying to help Gail, and Gail was talking about her as if Jody had betrayed her.

"Listen, we need to talk," Dean said. He grabbed her hand. "Come on." He started out of the room, pulling Gail with him.

"What about Cas?" she said. She looked back over her shoulder, trying to look at Cas, but Sam was in the way.

"He can stay here for a while," Sam said, frowning. "Think about what he's done."

They took Gail out of the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Cas in darkness. He didn't mind; the dark was where he felt most at home these days, anyway. He didn't need to think about what he'd done; they needed to think about what they were doing. They were ganging up on Gail, and now they were going to bring in Bobby, too. Gail could be strong-willed at times, but could she stand up to the three of them, tell them she wanted to come home? And she did; he could see it in her eyes. He closed his now, reliving every delicious moment they'd spent in their bed and outside this bunker. He wished she was here now; he could slip the handcuffs off and be free to touch her while she sat on his lap. She needed to come home with him. If he could somehow get her to come in here by herself, she could set him free. Then he could take her away from here, and he'd make damn sure that none of them would get near her again.

They'd been talking for a while, and Dean was exasperated with Gail. She'd begged them not to call Bobby, so Sam had disinfected her wound and put a bandage on it. Luckily, it wasn't very deep. Sam had been as gentle as possible. She'd unbuttoned her blouse partway and slipped the arm out to give him better access, and the brothers had exchanged glances at the appearance of yet more bruises and abrasions. Holy crap. They could only imagine what the rest of her looked like.

Dean felt like marching right in there and punching Cas in the face again. Rough him up a little. Let him see what it felt like. How long had this been going on? Since that day at the cabin? And he'd been coming in here with his fake eyes and his fake smile. Suddenly, the things that had just seemed weird at the time were making a creepy sort of sense. Cas slamming his blade on the table when he'd argued with Frank. Just his aggressive attitude in general. What was he subjecting Gail to at that house? Dean remembered Cas licking Gail's bruise and smiling, and he kicked himself. He should have stepped in a long time ago. Gail had needed their help, and Dean had let her down.

But after everything she'd been through at his hands, she was still sitting here defending the guy. True, if Metatron had dosed him with something, it wasn't his fault. But Gail said that Cas had actually injected her with his poisoned blood, not one but twice, and that she had let him do it. What was wrong with those two? Didn't they remember what had happened right here a year ago?

Sam was thinking the same thing, and he was astonished that the couple had fooled all of them for so long. He was also angry at himself for not having picked up on the signs sooner. But there was no sense dwelling on that now; the question was, how were they going to cure Cas? And Gail too, he supposed, since she had some of Cas's blood in her now. He wished it was as simple as using the cure they'd used on Gail last year, but this situation was a lot more complicated. They needed to find out what Metatron had put in the stupid potion, and then go from there. He had Rowena's spell book in the bunker's library now, but Metatron had clearly gone off recipe.

Gail knew her friends were just trying to help her, and she'd told them she would welcome any suggestions on how to figure out a cure. There had to be one, they just had to put their heads together. But she'd continued to insist that they not bring Bobby or anyone else in. She just wanted to keep this within the family. Bobby was like family, but he was God, and he was in charge of Heaven. Cas had had enough trouble there, and she didn't want his newly restored reputation to suffer because of what had been done to him. Once they'd cured him, things could go back to status quo, and no Angels need ever know.

She was getting a little tired of the brothers' lectures now, though. Yes, she knew they cared about her and only wanted what was best for her, and she loved them for that. But in a way, they were bullying her too, talking about driving her over to the house and helping her pack her things. Telling her not to go into the room to see Cas without one of them present. If she wanted to see Cas and talk to him, she would. What did they think Cas was going to do to her?

Eventually, Sam and Dean couldn't keep their eyes open any more. "We've got to get some sleep, Gail," Sam said, yawning widely.

"OK, I'll go home, then," Gail told them. She rose from the table and kissed each brother on the forehead. "I'll be back in the morning."

"Are you gonna be OK?" Dean asked her.

Gail sighed. "Yeah."

But she wasn't OK. She walked around her and Cas's house, looking around. She paused at the pictures hung so neatly above the couch and smiled. Then she went upstairs and stood in the bedroom, looking at her Vegas photo. It wasn't the original photo, of course; Jason had destroyed that one just before Cas's execution. But this one was almost as good, and it had been really sweet of him to arrange it for her.

She looked at the bed. The sheets were bunched up and the pillows strewn around. They just placed the pillows where they'd wanted or needed them depending on what they were doing at the time. She'd never bothered to make the bed; there didn't seem to be much point, considering how much time they spent in it these days.

Then she looked at the closet, where their clothes hung side by side. His Earthly clothes. They were all he ever wore now, and he still looked amazing in them. Could she really just take her clothes away from his and leave this house? Move back into the bunker? And do what? Be the Winchesters' housekeeper? Go up to Heaven? What if there wasn't a cure? Would they even take her, then? Go back on the road with Frank and pretend that the last year of her life never even happened? Go to Hell and hang out with Crowley?

No. She couldn't do any of those things. She didn't want to do any of those things. Nobody was here; she could be totally honest now. She wanted to be with Cas, here in this bed and everywhere else. Even with the way he was now. He was in her blood, literally and figuratively. She needed him, and she knew he needed her. She would have to work with Sam and Dean behind his back, but she was willing to deceive him so she could cure him and they could go back to the way things used to be. But she couldn't let him sit in that dark room all by himself. She could give him companionship and she could give him love, and if she had to endure some bruises and scrapes along the way, so be it. Having him this way was still better than not having him at all.

She winked back into the bunker and let herself into the room where they were holding Cas.

He looked up when she entered the room, and his face broke into a wide smile. Good girl.

"Hi," she said, almost shyly.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked softly.

"It's OK. Sam bandaged it up." She approached the chair, studying his face. He looked all right to her, not angry or anything. "Are you OK?" she asked him.

"Not really," he said, trying to smile. "I've been sitting here missing you."

"I missed you, too," she told him. "I went to the house, but it was too weird there without you."

His smile was genuine. He would feel the same way. In fact, he had; that was why he had come here in the first place, when she had gone shopping with Jody. "Come here, Gail," he said. "Please."

She walked up to the edge of the Devil's Trap. If she entered it, could she get back out? She looked at Cas.

"I think you should be OK," he told her. "You haven't got...that much in you." He had to be delicate. Now was not the time to remind her of what he had done to her.

Gail thought about it, then shrugged. If she couldn't get back out, at least they'd be together. She stepped gingerly into the circle, then stepped back out. Phew. "Et voila," she said to Cas, smiling.

He was smiling, too. This would be a piece of cake. But first: "Come here to me, Gail."

She approached him, and as she stood over him, Cas slipped the handcuffs and pulled her onto his lap. But he did so gently. He'd made a vow to himself. If she came back to him, he would never hurt her again. Apparently, the knowledge of pop culture he'd acquired didn't extend to bad made-for-TV movies, or he would have known: that was what they all said.

Gail was surprised. "How did you do that?" They'd been sigil handcuffs.

Cas smiled. "Magic trick." He put his arms around her and kissed her, using his tongue. She gave him hers and stroked his hair. His hands were underneath her top and she shifted her position so that she was straddling him. He pulled her top off, burying his head in her chest, kissing and licking her. He slipped his hand into her pants and she rose up to meet his fingers. He started to stroke her, and she sighed contentedly. She'd missed this. He was being sensual without being rough, and if he continued to be this way, she could stay with him forever. She stepped out of her pants.

Cas knew that, of course. He'd badly miscalculated when he'd pulled his blade on Dean, and he felt terrible about sticking her like that. He needed to keep sex and violence in separate compartments. He had Gail for one and Crowley for the other, and if he could keep one from ruining the other, life would be just about perfect. Well, except for Sam and Dean's meddling, of course. He had to get them back on the road.

Gail undid his pants and lowered herself onto him, and Cas started to moan. "Shhh," she whispered. He smiled. She was right; they'd better not make a lot of noise. Somehow that made it more exciting for him, and he put his hands on her hips and began to move her up and down. But he made sure not to dig his fingers into her.

She whimpered, and he put a hand over her mouth. Then she was licking his hand, and he lost it, pushing her down onto him and moaning against her chest.

Gail was feeling extremely good, but she was starting to think they'd better put a bookmark in it. She had to get Cas out of here; then they could do as they pleased at home.

"Cas, we'd better get you out of here before they wake up," she murmured in his ear. Cas nodded. She was right.

"Can you get my blade?" he asked her.

Gail kissed him. "Sure. I'll be right back." She slipped her clothes back on and let herself out of the room, moving quietly down the hall. She passed Dean's room and could hear him snoring inside. She smiled. She really did love those guys, but she had to choose Cas. As long as Cas continued to please her without hurting her, she'd tell Sam and Dean that she was staying with him until they found a cure. But the stuff with Crowley, she'd better keep to herself. Otherwise, they might take matters into their own hands.

She entered the training room and got Cas's blade from the table. Dean had picked it up after Cas dropped it and had taken it in here. Gail could distinguish it from the others now that Crowley had shown them the individual markings.

When she returned to the room where he was being held, Gail started to bring him the blade when it occurred to her: How could she get him out of there? He couldn't leave the Devil's Trap and he couldn't just wink out of the room; it was designed to keep otherworldly beings in, not to let them escape.

But Cas knew just what to do. "Take my blade and scrape the paint from the outer circle," he said, pointing to the floor. Cas was aware that he could leave the circle once it was broken on the outside ring.

Gail crouched down and did as he asked. Once she'd eroded the painted line, creating a gap, Cas would be able to step outside of the circle. He stood over her, smiling. She was a wonderful partner. As long as her conscience didn't get in the way, they could do fantastic things together.

When Gail was done, Cas moved to the edge of the Trap and ventured a foot over the line. It had worked! "Let's go," he said, offering her his hand. She handed him his blade and he put it away, then they walked out of the room and popped back home.

Straight to the bedroom they went, and Cas wanted to make it up to Gail now. He healed her shoulder, then he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. No more ripping clothes, either. One aggressive act tended to lead to the other. Besides, he had noticed that Gail seemed to be a lot more responsive when he was like this. Her body was already trembling.

He lay her down on the bed and when their clothes were finally off, Cas laid down beside her. "Let's love each other," he murmured. She brought herself up to his mouth and then took him in hers, and soon it was a contest to see who could make the other feel the best. Cas was groaning, and she could feel his breath getting faster. So was hers; his tongue and his hot breath were combining to make her feel amazing. She started to tease him with her tongue and he took her cue, doing the same thing to her. "Gail," he said. He couldn't stand it any more. He didn't want to grab her, but he might have to if she didn't resume immediately. But then she did, and it felt more intense because she'd stopped for a moment. God, she was good. He continued to tease her, and she whimpered, sending waves of pleasure through him. "Not yet," he said to her. She tried to move closer to him, but he held her away. A couple more licks, and she whimpered again. "Not yet," Cas repeated. She stopped what she was doing, teasing him once more. She was making him crazy. He supposed it was only fair; he was doing the same thing to her. He smiled. "Now," he said. She took him in her mouth again, and he let her come to his, and they were both moaning in pleasure. He had never felt closer to her, and he had never loved her more.

They were laying together and he was caressing her body, running his fingers over every mark he'd ever put there. "I will never hurt you again," Cas told her. "All I want to do is make you feel as good as you make me feel."

Gail smiled. She believed him. If he never hurt her again, he could do anything he wanted to her in here. She couldn't think of anything she wouldn't do for him, or with him, anyway.

"You do, Cas," she said. "I love you." She started to caress him in return, and her touch was exciting him again. He started to stroke her, making sure she was ready. She'd suffer less abrasions if she was, and she was a lot more vocally appreciative when she wanted it as much as he did. He needed to hear her crying out his name, saying she loved him. The more he heard that, the better he felt. The tiny sliver of Angel that was still inside of him whispered that he was a monster, and that he was unlovable. Wasn't that really why he had been alone and so lonely for his entire existence, and why Heaven had put him on trial? Why his own Father kept allowing him to be killed? Maybe God was hoping that eventually, one of the murders would take, and then He could wash His hands of His Son once and for all. Castiel was the quintessential Prodigal Son. He was a screw-up. He didn't belong in Heaven, and he didn't fit in on Earth. Id anything good ever happened to him, he found a way to throw it away with both hands. Soon he would alienate anyone who had ever tried to love him as he sank deeper into the abyss. Sam and Dean hated him now for what he had been doing to Gail, and he had chained her to him with blood and seduction. That wasn't love; it was slavery. He didn't deserve her love, anyway. Maybe that was why he had been so brutal to her. He'd brought her brother back from Hell, only to drive a wedge between them when Gail had felt forced to choose him over her brother. Then he had injected her with his blood, knowing it would poison her too, not once but twice. She'd complied because he'd blackmailed her into it, insisting that she prove her love. And even that hadn't been good enough for him; then he'd put painful mark after painful mark on her body, ignoring her pain in favour of his own. Making her hide them from everyone as if they were somehow her fault. Demanding that she subject herself to the humiliation of being groped by the King of Hell so that he could do it all over again. He was no better than Jason. In fact, he was worse; he kept telling her he loved her, yet he kept on hurting her. Dean should have just taken his blade from him and killed him with it. That was, if it would even work on him any more. But the Winchesters had plenty of Demon knives, too. Maybe each brother should take one of each kind, he thought, almost smiling. Maybe they should tell Larry he was missing a niche market.

But his moment of clarity was receding now as he and Gail began to stroke each other. Metatron had dosed him with the Sins, one of which was Lust, but there was likely more to it than that. The better his body felt, the less his mind had a chance to refect. Every time he started to feel the self-loathing, Cas would reach for Gail and use her to blot it out. The more she cried out that she loved him, the better he was able to feel about himself. If someone as good and perfect as she was loved him, maybe he did have some worth, after all.

So he moved on top of Gail and sank into her, sighing contentedly. She wrapped her legs around him and moaned his name in his ear, making him speed up his motion so that he could hear it again and again. Then, after she cried out, he flipped her over and did it the other way, stroking her the way she liked to make sure she enjoyed the experience. It took a little longer, but he didn't mind the wait. She was making him feel amazing, moving with him and making her little sounds. He sped up again, hoping he wasn't hurting her, but he was so damn excited now he couldn't help himself. "I love you," he moaned, and she said it right back. And that was it for him; he shouted out her name and then he was still.

Gail was sore now, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She'd been way worse. Cas had made her feel incredible. The love was back, and she clung to him now. Sam and Dean would be mad, but they would just have to accept it.

The Demon was back in full force in Cas now, though, and he was feeling proud of himself. A little while ago, Sam and Dean were set to take Gail away from him, and now she was wrapped around him, reinforcing her promise.

"We're going to have to talk to Sam and Dean," she said softly.

Cas smiled. He kissed her gently on the lips. "We'll talk to them together in the morning. Don't worry, Gail. No one is going to take you away from me. I will never let that happen."

Gail touched his face. "Nobody can take me if I don't want to go."

He kissed the palm of her hand and began licking her fingers. His violet eyes darkened. "Maybe we'd better make sure."

She stopped smiling. "What do you mean?"

"I bought some more syringes," he said, smiling. He was sucking on her fingers now. It felt strange but good, but her blood ran cold at what he was saying while he was doing it.

"No, Cas," she said softly.

He stopped what he'd been doing and his eyes flashed for a moment. "I saw you in the bunker. With them. You let them subdue me. You even brought them the handcuffs. You were going to let them keep you away from me." Incredibly, he smiled again. "But you chose me in the end, and look at all the fun we've had so far tonight." He resumed licking her fingers. "I'll take care of you once more, then you can take care of me, and then I'll prepare a couple of shots for you. Actually, maybe we'll do that first. They'll intensify your pleasure. Just like last time."

God help her. What had she done? "You made me a promise," she said, shocked.

Cas shrugged. "YOU made ME a promise. But you were about to go back on it, weren't you?"

"No, Cas, I wasn't," she pleaded. But she was lying. When Sam and Dean had looked at her back there with outrage in their eyes, she'd mentally had her bags packed and waiting by the door. "And I won't," she continued. "I came back for you, didn't I?" She was appealing to him both with her eyes and with her words. "I trusted you."

Cas smirked. "There's a saying: Be careful who you trust; after all, the Devil was once an Angel."

Wow. Holy crap. Well, if she couldn't talk him out of it by pleading, she'd have to try something else. It was hard to appeal to someone's better nature when the poison circulating through their veins was eating away at it. All she could think of was the shock factor.

She scrambled off the bed and threw on a top and a pair of pants, then she grabbed one of the suitcases from the shelf in the closet, opened it, and started tossing her clothes in it.

Cas leaped off the bed, alarmed. "What are you doing?"

Gail thought about Dean and his "Captain Obvious" remarks. She'd better not think of that right now, though. This was the most serious she hoped she would ever have to be in her life. "What's it look like?" she snapped. "Well, you've finally done it. You've created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hopefully Kevin and Chuck won't be jealous." Her hands were shaking so badly now from anger and fear that she dropped the next top she'd been trying to take off the hanger. She looked down at it. Screw it; she'd never liked that colour on her anyway.

He grabbed her arm. She looked down at his hand, then looked up at his panicked face. "Didn't I meet you in a bar in Seattle?" she said sarcastically.

Castiel's hand flew off her arm as if it were as hot as the sun. He remembered the drunk who had accosted her there. He'd come to her aid that night, even though she'd said that was unnecessary, and she had laughed about it all the way back to the motel room. When was the last time he'd seen her laugh like that? Of course, what did she have to laugh about these days? Except for what they did in this room, he never made Gail smile any more. She had seemed happier talking to his Brother than to him.

"Please don't leave," Cas said to her. "I'll throw away the needles. And I'll never mention it again."

Gail was staring at him. Thank God. She could technically have just popped out of here at any time, but she'd been going for the dramatic effect. And it appeared to have worked.

"OK, Cas," she said, dropping the pair of pants she'd been holding. "OK. If you really mean it, I'll stay."

Cas pulled her into his arms. His body was shaking with relief.

Gail was relieved, too. At the very least, she had bought herself some more time. If Sam and Dean were still speaking to her tomorrow, she'd have to enlist their help. But she would have to be careful. She had the feeling the next time the subject came up, he would just hold her down and do it anyway. And then both of them would have lost.

Jody was in her office early, turning on her computer and drinking the first of what she was sure would be many cups of coffee. She'd had trouble sleeping last night. Every time she'd closed her eyes, she'd kept seeing Gail's battered body, and Cas's purple eyes and angry expression. She should be feeling better about the situation now, though. Sam had given her a quick call back after their confrontation with Cas in the bunker and told her that Cas had been secured and that Gail was fine. She'd gone back to the house and was coming back in the morning, then they'd figure out how to go about getting the cure for Cas. He'd asked Jody to stand down for the time being. Gail wanted to keep the situation quiet, tell as few people as possible, and they were going to respect her request, for now. Frank had no idea what was going on, and it was probably best to keep it that way for now. If he found out what Cas had been doing to his sister, he'd probably come back and kill Cas. And even though both Sam and Dean had gotten in a couple of shots on Cas last night, he had been like a brother to them for a number of years now and they wanted to help him. So did Gail. If they could just keep him and Gail apart so she didn't suffer any more injuries at his hands, they'd figure something out. They always had.

But Jody still had a bad feeling about this. She knew that domestics had a way of turning deadly sometimes. In many cases, the victim was so in love with the abuser that she couldn't stay away from him for too long, and Jody had been considering calling Sam this morning and telling him and Dean to keep a close eye on Gail.

But before she could do that, her cell phone rang.

"Hey, Jody, how are you?"

Her heart sank. Frank. Normally, she would have been thrilled to hear from him.

"I'm good, Frank. How about you?"

"Good," Frank answered. "But I'm a little worried about Gail. I've been trying to call her, and Sam and Dean too, but nobody's picking up."

Crap. The last thing they needed was Frank on alert. She was going to have to lie to him now. It was best to keep him away from the bunker for the time being, and from his sister, too. Cas may be subdued for the moment, but Jody didn't like to think of what might happen if he and Cas faced off. If Frank tried to intervene, Cas could kill him.

"Oh, they're off on a case," she told Frank. She felt bad about keeping Frank in the dark, but it had to be done. "You know how that goes sometimes." "There. Now he wouldn't worry, and he likely wouldn't go to the bunker or to Cas and Gail's house if he thought they weren't there.

Frank sighed, relieved. He guessed that explained it, then. "Yeah, I know how that goes sometimes." He'd been hoping to catch another case himself; he'd already taken care of the little matter he'd gotten from the Winchesters. Simple evil spirit, blah, blah, yada, yada. They were probably just trying to ease him back in, but he had been more than up to the challenge. It felt good to be one of the good guys again, and he was eager to do more. Maybe he'd buy a laptop and do some surfing of his own. He couldn't depend on Sam and Dean for everything; they were clearly busy, too. He was glad that Gail and Cas were with them. He'd been hoping to talk to his sister, but she was off doing the Angel thing, and Frank had to respect that.

He was missing Jody, too. Curious. Frank didn't know her all that well, but what he'd seen, he'd liked. And Frank was pretty sure she'd liked him as well, despite everything he had told her about his time as a Demon. Jody was good people, and he hoped to see her again soon.

"I've got a lot of work to do," Jody said to him now, "but feel free to call any time, Frank. Let's keep in touch."

"OK, sounds good," Frank said. Not exactly the brush-off, but she clearly didn't feel like chatting right now. Well, she was a Sheriff; he was sure she did have lots to do.

"Frank?" Jody said suddenly, just as he'd been about to hang up the phone.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Jody paused. She really wanted to tell him what was going on. He was Gail's brother; didn't he have a right to know? Wouldn't his presence help Gail? But then Jody thought about Cas's purple eyes and seeing the blade in his hand. "Nothing," she said. "I just wanted to say it was good to hear from you."

Frank smiled. They said their goodbyes and he went to a nearby diner for breakfast. He thought about Gail. He wished he could be with her and Cas and Sam and Dean on their case. Travelling around without his sister was proving to be a lonely existence. But then he shrugged. He'd just have to suck it up.

Sam had the coffee on when Dean padded into the kitchen, yawning and stretching. "Morning, Sammy," Dean mumbled. He was exhausted and grumpy. He felt like he'd hardly slept at all, and his hand hurt from clocking Cas the night before.

Sam had punched Cas twice himself, and though his hand hurt too, he welcomed the pain. It was a reminder of the seriousness of the situation. When Gail arrived this morning, they'd have to figure out a plan to cure Cas. It might not be his fault that he was a Demon, or whatever the hell he was now, but Sam was still pissed off at him for what he'd been doing to Gail and for lying to him and Dean this whole time.

Sam's cell phone was on the kitchen table, and it rang now.

"What's happening?" Bobby asked Sam when he picked up. Sam cursed inwardly. They hadn't called him back last night. Gail had begged them not to. But Bobby sounded pissed off now, and rightfully so. He was family, and they needed to keep him in the loop.

"I'll go check on our guest, see how he's doing," Dean said, and he started down the hall as Sam nodded.

Sam gave Bobby a brief rundown on the events of last night. In deference to Gail's wishes, he played down both her injuries and Cas's behaviour, but Bobby got the picture. He was seething. Gail was like a daughter to him, and if this wasn't Sam telling him what had been going on right under their noses, Bobby wouldn't have believed it. Sam emphasized that it was Metatron who was to blame for the state Cas was in right now, but Bobby was still sickened by what he was hearing. He'd known Cas a long time, and even though they had butted heads a few times along the way, Bobby had always considered him to be a good man. And he still was, underneath, Bobby was sure. But right now, it was a good thing that Bobby was up here in Heaven and Cas was at the bunker. Domestic violence in any form was a sensitive issue for Bobby because of his upbringing, and he was tempted to go down there and take a poke at Cas himself. But Sam advised that he and Dean had the situation under control, and he told Bobby that Gail was skittish and vulnerable right now. As God, Bobby was an authority figure to her, and they didn't want it to seem like they were ganging up on her and Cas. Bobby supposed he could understand that. If a group of people had come to his house and confronted Bobby's mother about what his father had been doing to her, she probably would have asked them to leave and then locked the door behind them. Bobby knew more than most the excuses that women could make for the men they loved.

Still, they'd better find a cure for Cas, and soon. And if one could not be found, they would have to seriously consider the next step. Bobby would be willing to do it himself if Sam or Dean didn't have the stomach for it. There was no way they could let Cas hurt Gail any more.

As Bobby sat in his office contemplating the murder of God's favourite Son, black clouds formed in the sky over the former Angels' house and it began to pour rain.

Gail heard the thunder, and she pulled a corner of the curtain aside to look out. It was winter now, and there had been a nip in the air that suggested snow; but incredibly, there was a full-fledged thunderstorm happening outside. Weird.

Cas heard it too, and the weather reflected his mood of last night. The suitcase Gail had been packing was still sitting on the floor, and the clothes she had thrown in its direction were still laying strewn about. She hadn't bothered to hang them back up after he had backed down last night, perhaps to serve as a reminder to him that she could still change her mind at any time if he went back on his word.

It was funny, really. The moment she'd stood up to him, refusing to be dosed again, Cas had actually been able to beat the Demon in his system back. She'd really meant it, he knew, and his fear of losing her was so great that he'd capitulated. It was one thing for a third party to try to take her away from him; that was something he and his blade could handle. But for her to want to leave of her own accord? If she took such a drastic step on her own, she would never come back.

So he had backed down, promising never to bring the subject up again, and he supposed that he'd better mean it. He had pushed her too hard, and she had finally pushed back. Even the worst of the Demon part of him had to respect her for that.

They'd gone back to bed after that, and Cas had been so scared by what she'd almost done that the aggression had left him. All he could do was hold her, so he did that. But not too tight. Never again. He had promised himself, once again, never to hurt her any more.

Gail had been happy to see Castiel like that. She didn't mind seeing him self-confident, and she didn't even mind a little aggressiveness, especially here in the bedroom, but she didn't know how much longer they could continue to fight the monster in him. She knew they were going to have to go back to the bunker in the morning and explain themselves, but it would be a delicate dance. She wanted to stay here with Cas as long as she could, but Sam and Dean were going to be mad, both about that and about the fact that she had helped Cas to escape. But she also wanted to enlist their help in finding a cure. Gail realized now she'd been stupid to think she could go it alone. Sam and Dean were Cas's best friends, and even though they were angry with him at the moment, Gail knew they would want to help her help him. But it would have to be done behind his back; she also knew that the Demon in him would not let him accept the cure. She would have to be very careful, though. She'd seen how quickly the monster inside him could emerge.

But Cas was feeling very happy this morning. He had held Gail all night, and at one point he could swear that he had drifted off to sleep. Did Demons sleep sometimes? He'd have to ask Crowley about that the next time he saw him. Cas was eager to resume their sessions with the King of Hell. He'd wait until the Winchesters went back on the road, then he'd set up the next meeting. He knew that he and Gail were facing a real challenge ahead with Sam and Dean. Cas rubbed his face; it was still sore from the punches he'd received at the brothers' hands last night. Boy, did they pack a wallop when they were angry. The thought actually made him smile. He could understand how they felt; if it had been anyone other than Cas himself who had treated Gail like that, a punch or two would be the least of their worries. But they had to convince Sam and Dean that Gail was safe to stay with him at home. Then, when the brothers left town, he and Gail could go back to Crowley.

"Wow, is it ever storming out there," Gail said. "A thunderstorm in wintertime? Now I've seen everything."

Cas looked at her and smiled, and suddenly, the clouds went away, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. A moment later, a light snow began to fall. Gail's jaw dropped open. "What the hell?" she exclaimed.

Cas walked over to where she stood and looked over her shoulder. He was amazed at what he was seeing. How could the weather have changed so drastically so fast? He put his arms around Gail's waist and kissed her gently on the cheek. There was something about a light snow, and being with her, that seemed familiar...then it came to him.

"What's the date today?" he asked her.

Gail frowned. "I don't know." Then she remembered Frank, joking about Santa Claus. How long ago had that been? Was it..."I think it's December 24th," she said softly. Christmas Eve? Could it be? And it was snowing lightly outside, just like it had been that night, the night that she had found Castiel right outside the bar she'd gone to after fleeing Crowley. She felt both sentimental and sad at the same time. That had been a joyous occasion, and now...now they were going to the bunker to try to convince Sam and Dean that Cas wasn't going to kill her. And how did Demons celebrate Christmas, anyway?

She sighed. One year ago, Cas had saved her; now she had to do the same for him. She turned around to face him. He was frowning. Was he thinking about that night, too?

Gail kissed him firmly on the cheek. Hang on, Castiel, she thought. Fight. I swear to God, I'll help you or die trying.

"Let's go see Sam and Dean," she said, taking his hand.

Sam had just hung up with Bobby when he heard Dean yell: "Son of a bitch!"

No. It couldn't be, Sam thought. There was only one thing he could think of that would make Dean yell that way. He ran down the hall to the room where they'd been holding Cas and sure enough, the chair was empty.

"Damn it!" Sam exclaimed. "How did he - "

Dean pointed to the broken circle on the floor. "Gail," he fumed.

Sam's heart sank. Dean was right; it had to have been Gail. They should have taken turns watching her last night. Then he noticed the handcuffs laying on the floor beside the chair. Of course. Sigils only worked on Angels, didn't they? They had been stupid. He raced to the training room. Cas's blade was gone. Crap. What were they going to do now?

"We've gotta get over to that house," Dean told Sam.

They were sitting in the library area having coffee, each man mentally kicking himself for having let Gail leave last night; she had obviously come back in the middle of the night and released Cas.

Sam looked at his brother. "Even if they're there, what are we supposed to do?"

"Break in," Dean growled. "Kick his ass. Something."

Sam let a breath out in frustration. He was angry too, but they had to come up with a plan. Cas may not be an Angel any more, but he was still an otherwordly being, and they couldn't just go in there, figurative guns blazing, and expect no one to get hurt. And Gail would be right in the middle of it all, and based on the fact that she had apparently helped Cas to escape, she might stand with him against the Winchesters. How could you help someone who fought your help every step of the way?

Suddenly, Cas and Gail appeared, standing at the end of the table. Dean jumped to his feet immediately, but Gail moved in front of Cas.

"Sit down, Dean, please," she said.

He sat back down, but glared at them both. "Really, Gail? You're really gonna - " He threw his hands up in disgust. "Fine. Let him kick the crap out of you. I give up. If you think so little of yourself, why should I care?"

Gail frowned. That had really hurt. She had to make him and Sam understand. "He doesn't beat me, Dean. He just...gets a little carried away sometimes."

"'He gets a little carried away sometimes'," Dean mocked her, rolling his eyes. "Did you hear that, Sammy? Her body looks like a road map, but he gets a little carried away sometimes." He glared at Cas. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't just kick your ass right now."

"I can't," Cas said soberly. He was fighting with himself now. On the one hand, Dean was right. Hearing it from his friend like that really put it into perspective. But the other side of him made him wonder what business it was of Dean's, anyway. He and Gail had made up last night, in a number of ways, and she had forgiven him. Wasn't that the only thing that mattered?

Gail took Cas's hand. "He's sorry for everything that's happened, and I've accepted his apology," she said. But had he actually apologized? She couldn't really remember. But it was essential for her to convince the brothers that Cas was truly penitent so she could continue to stay with him. "We're going to sit down now, and the four of us are going to talk, but if one of you makes a move on him, we're gone."

Dean shook his head. Unbelievable. But he could see she really meant it, so he gestured sarcastically to the empty chairs.

Cas pulled a chair out for Gail as he always did, then he sat beside her, keeping her hand in his. She smiled at him. Ever since she'd threatened to leave last night, he'd been more like the Castiel she remembered. If she could just keep him calm like this, maybe she could get Dean to stand down long enough to have a real conversation.

But Cas was carefully manipulating her. He was maintaining a calm facade, but the Demon blood inside him was starting to boil. He needed an outlet for his anger, and he needed it to be soon. This kinder, gentler act was starting to wear on him.

Sam was looking at Cas suspiciously. Cas was behaving himself right now, but Sam had seen how quickly that had changed last night. "What do you want to say to us, Gail?" he asked her.

"I'm going to stay at home," she told him. "That's what I wanted to say."

"And I promised her I will never hurt her again," Cas added quietly. He was trembling now, and Gail squeezed his hand. This must be so hard for him, she thought. Dean and Sam were his best friends.

But Cas wasn't shaking from embarrassment, he was shaking from need. He couldn't be violent with Gail; she would leave him if he hurt her again. And if he started a fight with Dean or Sam right now, he might not be able to stop himself from killing them. He needed to see Crowley, and soon, before he lost it.

Then Dean's cell phone rang, and it was Roger, a Hunter friend of his and Sam's. "What's up?" Dean asked him. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"A case?" Roger asked him.

Dean frowned. "Not exactly. What is it, Roger?"

Good. They weren't already on a case. "I need a huge favour, Dean," Roger told him. "I found a Demon den, and I was all ready to go in there and kick some ass, but my wife just called. She's gone into labour. I need to be there with her, Dean. She's made a lot of sacrifices for me and for what we do. I need to be there for her now."

Dean sighed. Roger's timing sure sucked. Or his kid's did, anyway. "Where is it?" Dean asked.

"Tampa," Roger replied.

Florida? He had to be kidding. Even if they got in the car right now, it would take a while to get there. And what would they do about Cas and Gail in the meantime?

"I'll call you back," he said into the phone. "I've got to talk to Sam."

Dean hung up, looked at Cas and Gail, then looked at his brother, telling him what Roger had said.

Gail was excited. If she handled this the right way, it could be a golden opportunity.

"I have an idea," she said to the brothers. "Dean, let Cas take you. He can pop you both down there, help you take care of it, and pop you back here. I'll stay here with Sam."

All three men looked at her as if she was crazy. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. If Dean and Cas took care of business together, they would probably be able to patch things up. Cas could be doing something productive for a change, and something good, as well. Crowley had lots of minions; he could stand to lose a few. Roger could be with his wife while she had their baby. And she and Sam could brainstorm about a cure for Cas. Wins all the way around. Well, except for Crowley, maybe. Oh, well. Screw him. Gail did still have a little Demon in her too, after all.

Sam was impressed at Gail's thought process. If she was volunteering to stay here with him, he was sure he could convince her to move out of that house. Even failing that, he wanted to talk to her about a cure, also. Despite their anger at Cas, they hadn't given up on their friend. If he was as penitent as he claimed to be now, or as Gail was claiming him to be, Cas could show it by helping Dean wipe those Demons off the map. Sam almost grinned. He thought he might be the only one in the room who realized it was Christmas Eve today. He and Dean had never celebrated it much, but he couldn't think of a better present than Cas and Dean re-bonding over something like this. They needed to be able to find a way to co-exist with Cas while they searched for a way to help him. Clearly, locking him up was not the answer. Gail would just keep setting him free. And they certainly couldn't lock HER up.

Cas was excited by the idea, too. Killing a bunch of Demons would be just the cure for what was ailing him right now. And he did want to get along with Dean, if such a thing was even still possible. If he and Dean and Sam were back on good terms, they wouldn't be so suspicious of him all the time. And he needed them to shut up about Gail. The next time one of them told her to pack her bags, he was going to be talking to Cas's blade.

"She's right, Dean, I can help," Cas said to him, making sure his expression was open and earnest. "Please let me help, Dean. I need to do this." Cas didn't even have to lie. He really did need it.

Dean eyed him warily. Cas looked OK and he was saying all the right stuff, but Dean was on the fence. Exactly how much Demon was in the guy? Dean didn't want to take him to a Demon den only to have him turn around and join the other side. Red Rover, Red Rover, can Castiel come over? That'd be all he'd need.

Dean needed a push. "Please, Dean," Cas pleaded with him. His eyes were violet now as he fought to hold on to his gentle tone. He hadn't bothered to put the blue contacts in this morning. They had seen him as he really was now, so there didn't seem to be much point any more. He could see them looking at his eyes, but they'd get used to it in time. Gail had. "I need to do something good, Dean. It's Christmas Eve."

Sam and Dean were startled. He knew? And it still meant something to him? Then there had to be hope.

Gail squeezed his hand, remembering their moment watching the snow fall this morning. She felt the same way as the brothers. If Cas could say that, he wasn't beyond saving. She didn't realize that he had just said it to manipulate Dean into giving in.

Dean sighed heavily. He hoped he wasn't going to regret this. "All right, Cas. Let's go."

Gail stood with Cas, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a bit," she said softly.

Sam stood too, and Cas looked at him for a moment. Was it OK to be leaving Gail here alone with Sam? Cas knew the second punch he'd gotten from Sam last night had nothing to do with Gail's injuries. It had been over Cas's comment that Sam was upset that Gail had chosen Cas over him. When he'd first met Gail, Cas could sense something between her and Sam. They were both highly intelligent, intuitive, and were the younger siblings. And they shared a love of books. They had a lot in common. They should have been a couple, and they might have been if Cas had not entered the picture. But Gail had chosen Cas instead, and Cas didn't think Sam would ever completely get over that. When the two of them had spent the night together in Dean and Sam's hotel room in Las Vegas the night Cas had gotten drunk, Cas knew that nothing had happened. But Cas could just bet that Sam would have tried something if he thought he could get away with it. And now he had been trying to talk Gail into leaving Cas. Could he be trusted? Could Gail?

He put his arms around Gail and looked down at her. "I love you," he told her. "I love you too, Cas," she replied, smiling. Cas studied her face and decided she was telling the truth. Good thing for her. When he was done with this morning's happy errand, he'd have to take her back to bed and remind her that he was the only man who could make her cry out like that. He'd better be, anyway.

"We'll be back soon," Cas said to her. But he was looking at Sam when he said it.

"I wish I could have a coffee," Gail said wistfully. "Would you like me to make you breakfast?" she asked Sam.

"I'll make it," Sam said, rising. "Come with me. We'll talk."

She followed him to the kitchen. "At least let me help," Gail said. She remembered all the mornings she and Sam had made breakfast together here, and how happy she'd been to do it.

But when Sam got to the kitchen, he realized he didn't have much of an appetite. He looked at Gail. "Let's just sit down and talk."

"Sure, Sam," she said, drawing up a chair next to him. "What do you want to talk about? Music? Sports? Reality TV?" she quipped.

He raised an eyebrow to her, but he smiled. She could always make him smile. "The only reality I want to talk about is those purple eyes of his," Sam said.

His comment was like a splash of cold water on her face. Gail had been joking because she was nervous about what Sam was going to say to her, but she hadn't expected him to be quite that blunt.

"It's just a colour, Sam," she said uncomfortably. "You get used to it."

"I don't think I want to get used to it," Sam told her. He paused, then said, "How bad is he, Gail?"

She looked at Sam, wide-eyed. What could she say about that? That Cas had meant to inject her again last night and it was only her threatening to leave him that had prevented him from doing it? That every time she brought Cas and Sam and Dean together she was scared one of them would end up dead?

"He'll be OK, Sam," she said unconvincingly.

"You think so?" Sam asked her. His gaze was penetrating, and he was frowning. "Why do you let him do that to you, Gail?" Sam wasn't comfortable asking her that, but he needed to ask. It was driving him nuts.

Gail was uncomfortable now, too. She didn't really know. She just got so caught up in the moment, and Cas made her feel so good that she barely felt the pain at the time it was happening. But she sure as hell couldn't tell Sam that; it was too embarrassing.

But Sam was looking at her like he knew. And he did know it too, intellectually; he just couldn't get past it. "Do you really still love him, Gail?" he asked quietly. "Or are you afraid of what he'll do if you leave?"

Now Gail felt like Sam had just punched her in the face, instead of Cas. Not that Cas had ever done anything like that, or ever would. Well, Sam had wanted to talk reality. This was about as real as it got.

"A little from Column A, a little from Column B," she answered honestly. But Sam looked alarmed, so she hastily amended, "But mostly, Column A."

Crap. Sam had wanted to have an honest conversation; he just hadn't expected her to answer his question quite that honestly. He was wondering if he and Dean should have ever asked for Cas's help in finding Gail's brother in the first place. If she and Cas had never met, or if they had met a little further down the road, it might be Sam and Gail in that house, and in that bed. And when he and Gail were done making love, there wouldn't be one angry mark on her, just a smile.

But he couldn't think like that now. Sam actually hadn't thought about Gail like that for quite a while. She and Cas had seemed so happy, and Sam would never get in the middle of a relationship like that. You didn't try to mess around with a friend's girl, ever. And the two of them seemed almost married. There was no way. But it made Sam sick to think of what Cas had been subjecting Gail to in that house. They had to do something about that, one way or the other.

"You've got to get out of that house," Sam told her.

Gail frowned. "I'm not going to do that, Sam. What we need to do is figure out the cure."

Sam was angry, frustrated. Her stubbornness was going to get her killed. Didn't she understand that? He wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her, but then he'd be no better than Cas. How weird things were that the Angel friend Sam had always looked up to should be an object of his scorn now. He sighed. "Got any ideas, Gail?"

But she had none. None at all. And neither did Sam. All those books and all that intelligence between them, and they couldn't come up with a damn thing.

Cas and Dean were standing in front of the Demon den. Dean gave Cas the extra Demon knife he'd gotten from the weapons room. He knew that Cas had his blade back, courtesy of Gail, something that Dean would have to have a little chat with her about; but Angel blades could only hurt Demons, not kill them. And Dean didn't want to mess around, he just wanted to get this done so they could get back home and figure out what to do about the guy he was standing next to right now. Dean still wasn't sure if this had been such a great idea, but Roger had advised when Dean had called him back that he had done a recon and there were probably a good dozen of those things in the house. And Dean had to admit he couldn't handle that many by himself, not all at once. Roger had already taken off to see his wife.

"I'll go in first," Cas said to Dean.

"And how are you going to do that?" Dean said skeptically.

"I'll knock on the door, and they'll let me in," Cas replied.

Dean smirked. Cas may be some kind of weird hybrid monster right now, but at least he hadn't lost his sense of humour. "They'll let you in," he echoed sarcastically. "You."

Cas lifted an eyebrow, and Dean suddenly realized that wasn't so funny after all. They probably would, too. He was one of them now, wasn't he? And what would happen if they did? Did Cas want to go in first so he could arrange an ambush for Dean once he followed? How the hell could he have brought Cas on a case when he couldn't even trust him any more?

Cas saw the way Dean was looking at him, and he understood. He would have been thinking the same thing if the situation was reversed. "I'm here for the same thing you are, Dean, I swear," he said. Boy, was he ever. But he'd be using his own blade first. The need to inflict pain was too great now, and quick deaths would just be a letdown.

"OK, but keep in mind that Sam and I have something arranged, just in case," Dean told him.

Cas's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you double-cross me, Sam will call Bobby and have him take Gail away and put her somewhere you'll never find her. And don't bother trying to get her location out of us. Only Bobby will know where." Dean stared at Cas evenly. No such plan had been arranged, but Cas didn't know that, of course.

Cas was dismayed. He hadn't actually been planning to offer Dean up to the Demons, he'd just been thinking about his own needs. But he had to admit, that had been clever of them. He knew he'd been right to worry about leaving her there alone with Sam, but what alternative had he had? He certainly didn't want her to see what he was about to do. Cas already knew she was a little bit afraid of the monster in him; she couldn't be anywhere in the vicinity when he let it out to play. She'd just be the beneficiary of his excitement later on. But couldn't take the chance of her ending up in Bobby's hands. Even he couldn't take on God.

"I won't double-cross you, Dean," Cas told him. "You have my word."

Dean continued to stare at those strange purple eyes. Did Cas's word even mean anything any more? Then he shrugged. "OK. You know what you stand to lose if you do," he said, hammering the point home.

Cas nodded, then he walked up to the front door of the house. He knocked on the door while Dean hid around the corner.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice.

"Candygram," Cas said, smiling. Dean smirked. Too bad he was so pissed off at Cas right now; that had actually been pretty good.

"Go away. We're not buying anything today," the Demon said.

"And I'm not selling. Tell my Brother I have a message for him," Cas said calmly.

"Your Brother?" the Demon asked. What the hell was this guy talking about?

"Yes, my Brother. But I believe you would call him 'Your Majesty'," Cas retorted.

The Demon yanked open the door. "Look, buddy, I don't know who you think you are, but - "

Cas's purple eyes flashed. "My name is Castiel. And you're going to let me in."

"Like hell I - " the Demon started to close the door, but Cas blocked him. "I don't think so," Cas said, smiling grimly. He slashed the Demon's face with his blade, and as the Demon's hands flew up to his face in reflex, Cas walked into the house, leaving the door open.

Another Demon came at him with a knife, but a third Demon grabbed that Demon's knife arm. "No! Don't!" he yelled. "He's on the list!"

Crowley had a "no-harm" list he circulated to all of the minions he assigned to Earth, and Castiel was now at the top of the revised list, followed by Gail. He didn't want any unfortunate accidents to befall his little protegee or her pit bull of a boyfriend. Crowley wasn't putting in those extra hours for nothing.

The second Demon lowered his knife. Crap. He'd nearly blown it, big-time.

"List? What list?" Dean's voice, coming from behind. He killed the Demon who'd been at the door. "No, really, what list?" Dean said casually. He stabbed another Demon who rushed him from the side, then punched another, stabbing him when he fell to the floor. "Shopping list? To Do list?" Dean quipped. Truthfully, he was worried now. Why would Cas be on a "stand-down" list of Crowley's? Because he was part Demon now? So what? Crowley had lots of Demons, and he and Cas had always been bitter enemies.

"That's Dean Winchester," the third Demon said to the one who'd raised the knife to Castiel. "He was on the old list, but I don't know if he's on the revised list or not. We'd better not take the chance."

"So your Boss told you you can't kill us? Yahtzee!" Dean said happily. He walked up to the two Demons. "You want to get in on this?" he said, looking back at Cas.

The Demons smirked. Castiel was one of them now; this human had better watch it.

Cas smiled. "Oh, so you're leaving some for me? How thoughtful."

He started in on a couple of them with his blade, hacking and slashing him to pieces; but he was trying not to kill them, at least not yet. Dean was occupied with the two Demons he had engaged, fighting furiously, and he was using his knife to kill.

The other Demons came running into the room and tried to attack Dean and Cas, but the two had fought together many times, and their combined motions were almost like a ballet. Demons were falling to the floor, either dead or painfully injured, and soon Dean was standing, breathing heavily, looking around. There didn't seem to be any more coming at him, but he'd better search the house.

He looked at Cas, who was covered in blood and surrounded by bleeding Demons. None of them were standing or looked like they were in any shape to mount a real challenge, so Dean said, "OK while I search the house?"

Cas looked at him, smiling, and his eyes were dark purple now, almost black. "Take your time," he said.

Dean did a double-take, then started to search the rooms of the house. He heard blood-curdling screams coming from the living room, and none of them were Cas's. He was torturing them now, and not for any kind of information, just for the sport. Dean almost shuddered. Bad day to be a Demon. He nearly felt sorry for them. Wow. Well, at least Cas wouldn't be hurting Gail later. He'd probably be too sore to move. And how creepy was that, thinking about Cas that way? They'd have to have a nice long talk when they got back. And Dean would be doing most of the talking.

Sam and Gail were sitting at the library table when Cas and Dean returned. Both men were bloody, but Cas was completely covered in it. Except for his eyes, which were practically glowing with excitement. He had enjoyed that immensely; he'd have to do it again soon. He'd had fun with Dean, too. And it was good to know that Crowley had ordered the Demons to stand down for him. It was much easier to torture someone who had been instructed not to harm you. He smiled at the thought.

Sam's blood ran cold at the sight of Cas. They'd all killed monsters together before, and they'd all come home bloody, but Cas looked almost maniacal now. But Sam was glad. There was no way Gail would go home with him now, not when he looked like this.

But incredibly, when Cas held out his hand to her, Gail rose to take it. "I've got to get home and get cleaned up," Cas said to them. "Thanks for letting me come, Dean. We'll have to do that again soon."

"Look at your clothes," Gail said. To Sam's horror, she sounded almost amused, as if she was talking to a child who'd gotten muddy in the playground. "I'll put them with the others and do a laundry."

The others!? Sam and Dean looked at each other in astonishment. How long had this been going on? And Gail was OK with this, too? Sam suddenly understood. She was looking the other way while he did it to others because that meant he wouldn't do it to her. Or him, or Dean.

And while the brothers were reeling from the shock, Cas winked Gail out of the bunker.

Cas came out of the shower and approached Gail, who was already in bed. She knew how excited he would be; he always was when he got back from an excursion like he'd had today. What he'd done and what he'd looked like coming back from what he'd done didn't disturb her any more. She'd grown used to it by now.

He reached for her immediately, and he was pleased to discover that she was already naked under the sheet. He was so eager for her that his hands were shaking, and he might have had to tear any clothes she had on. His tongue was in her mouth and he was on top of her, pushing her legs open. "Not yet," she said to him. If he entered her now, as eager as he was, it would likely hurt a lot. His face darkened. "Lay down," she said to him. "We've got all the time in the world."

Cas smiled slowly. He supposed she was right. Now that he knew she was going to stay with him, he could have her any time and any way he wanted.

He laid down on his back and she took him in her mouth. He was moaning immediately, pushing up against her so she could take all of him. After a few minutes, she had taken the edge off as she knew how to do by now, and then she felt safe to have him enter her. But he was still too excited, and he was hurting her now. "Cas," she said, putting her hands on his chest, trying to get him to ease up a little. "Cas!"

"What? What's the matter?" he asked her, annoyed.

"You're hurting me," she told him. "Can you go a little slower, please? Let me catch up?"

And he tried, he really did. At least, that's what he told himself. But soon he was tearing into her again, grasping her so tightly that the marks left by his fingers would hurt her for days. Then, when he was done, he moved down her body and began to use his tongue the way he knew that she liked, and her pain was temporarily forgotten. God help her, he was making her feel good after he had basically just raped her. She cried out his name, holding his head there. Cas smiled. He knew what she liked.

They stayed there all through the rest of the day and well into the night. Cas had her every way possible; he couldn't seem to get enough. Sometimes she cried out in pain, sometimes with intense pleasure. It was all interchangeable to him now, and he loved every sound that came from her. At one point she bled, and he licked the blood that came from her as she moaned. She was saying his name over and over, and she was smiling and crying at the same time.

Cas had crossed over now, and his last sliver of conscience was gone for the moment. As bells rang outside, calling Christmas morning, he fell asleep with a smile on his face as Gail limped to the bathroom and cried.

Cas snapped awake when he heard Gail at the closet. She'd tried to be as quiet as she could, but she was shaking, and she had knocked a couple of hangers onto the floor.

He leaped off the bed and rushed over to her, grabbing her by the upper arms. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Packing, Cas," Gail said shortly.

"What? Why?" he said, astonished.

"Really? You want to know why?" Gail raised her voice. She was scared, but she was also getting angry now. He honestly had no clue what he'd done to her last night, how much he had hurt her. Well, she'd have to show him then, wouldn't she?

She took her clothes off, throwing them on the floor. "Look at me, Cas." He reached for her, but whether it was to comfort her or to touch her again, Gail had ceased to care. She was just as angry at herself now as she was at him. She'd looked at herself in the mirror last night after he'd gone to sleep, and her body had looked like an impressionist painting. She was bleeding in several places, and she'd wrapped a towel around herself to try to blot some of the blood. Then she had sunk down to the floor and cried. And then, she had started to get mad. That was when she had come back into the bedroom, dressed quietly, and started packing. She'd looked at Cas, who had appeared to be dozing. There was a time when she would have smiled to see him laying so peacefully. She had seen him laying in so many beds, and she had lain with him on so many occasions. But last night had been the last time. She had enabled him, made excuses for him, and tried to love him as best she could, but Gail was done.

So when he reached for her now, she pushed him away. "No. Cas," she said. He stared at her. She couldn't read the expression on his face. Hurt? Angry? Disbelieving? But it didn't matter. If she started to think about his feelings now, she would be in trouble. Gail had to think of herself for a change. If she spent one more night here with him, she'd have to check herself into a hospital.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her.

She put her clothes back on. "Anywhere but here, Cas," she said sadly. The expression on his face hadn't changed, even when she'd shown him her injuries, and she knew he was no longer her Castiel.

She reached down to close the suitcase and he grabbed her by the arm. His grip was tight, and she was so bruised and beaten up that she hissed in pain.

"You're not going to leave me," he said. "I won't let you."

Gail straightened up. The hell with the clothes. She'd wear Sam's T-shirts if she had to. She had to get out of here now, before he started getting violent. Or worse, before he convinced her to stay.

"Well then, you'd better get your blade out again, Cas," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "What's a little more blood, right?"

"I would never do that to you," he said slowly.

She laughed shortly. "Really?"

Cas frowned. "It's Sam, isn't it? He convinced you to leave."

"No, Cas. It's you. You convinced me," she said bitterly. "When you pretty much beat the crap out of me last night, you convinced me."

Cas was angry. All he'd done was love her, and she had enjoyed it. This was Sam's doing, and Dean's, and the bothers were going to pay. "If you leave here now, I will kill Sam and Dean," he snarled.

"I'll be sure to let them know," Gail said sarcastically. But he was scaring her very badly. He would probably do it, too. She sent out an emergency call to Bobby on Angel Radio to warn Sam and Dean, hoping that he could still receive her messages; after all, she wasn't a full Angel herself any more, was she? So just in case, she sent out a call to Crowley, too. What the hell. It was Christmas Day; she doubted he'd be going to morning services.

"Don't bother going to the bunker," she said to Cas. "I won't be there." She remembered the made-for-TV movies she used to make Frank watch with her, and she supposed she'd have to buy Frank dinner the next time she saw him and apologize. And if and when they were ever able to cure Cas, she'd have to apologize to him, too. She still loved Castiel and hoped she could reunite with him one day soon, it was this thing in front of her that she didn't love.

So Gail slapped him across the face, hard. Then she popped out of the bedroom and out of their house.

She was going to go to the bunker anyway, just to make sure that Sam and Dean were aware of Cas's threat, but Bobby sent her a message back that he was with Sam and Dean, and they were in the process of adding extra protections to the bunker. However, since Bobby wasn't sure exactly what category of entity Cas was at the moment, he couldn't guarantee that the protections would hold. Could Gail go somewhere else for a few minutes? Bobby would call her when he felt it was safe for her to come.

Sure, Bobby, she sent back. She went to the park across the street from where she and Cas used to live, but her bench was covered with snow and it made her feel too sad to be there, anyway. She tried to think of somewhere else to go. She certainly couldn't go to Heaven looking like this; there would be too many questions. And could she even go there any more, considering what she was now?

It was Christmas Day, and Gail had no place to go. Maybe she should be pregnant and riding a donkey, she thought sardonically. She laughed humourlessly. Well, she was certainly not a virgin any more.

She wondered what Frank was doing right now. Was he sitting alone in some diner, staring into a cup of coffee? She'd left the house in such a rush that she hadn't even brought her cell phone with her, but she probably would have resisted the temptation to call Frank anyway. There was no way he could see her looking like this; it would kill him.

What was Cas doing right now? Had he gone to the bunker anyway? Were Bobby's protections able to keep him out? Was he out there looking for her?

Then Gail heard the voice in her head, as clear as if it were being broadcast on Angel Radio:

"Meet me at the crossroads, sweetheart. We need to talk."

Gail shook her head. Great. It was Christmas morning, she had just left her abusive Demon boyfriend, she had no place to go, she was worried about the safety of her friends, and she was being summoned by the King of Hell. She was a walking made-for-TV movie, wasn't she? Yeah, if it was being shown on the Satanic Network, maybe.

She shrugged. Might as well go. Hell was where she was headed, anyway. And if the creature that was inhabiting Castiel's body now caught up with her first, she might be heading there very soon.

Crowley was already standing there when Gail arrived, and she saw his jaw drop when he looked at her. She supposed she'd have to get used to that for a while; just wait until Sam and Dean and Bobby saw her. It was her own fault, really. She'd put off doing a laundry, and she was wearing a short-sleeved top with a V-neck. Even though most of her was still covered, the parts that weren't were horrifying. And her face was now almost as bad. How had he managed to...? She shook the thought away. She really didn't want to know.

"Go ahead, get it over with," she said, rolling her eyes. She stood there, shivering in the cold, waiting to hear whatever sarcasm would be forthcoming.

But Crowley had no smart comment to make. Instead, he conjured a blanket, which wrapped itself around Gail's torso. She clutched at it, looking at Crowley with gratitude.

A very large part of Crowley hadn't truly believed he would ever see what he was seeing now, and truthfully, he didn't want to see it. He had been hoping to use the couple and their powers to further his own ends, but his Brother had not only derailed that train now, he had set every car on fire. Now Crowley understood how Dr. Frankenstein must have felt. Mind, he had just left a little bit of Demon inside Castiel for a laugh; it had been Metatron, always bloody Metatron, who had hooked up the electricity.

Crowley had now decided that Castiel was a lost cause. He had no use for a Knight he couldn't control. He sighed. "I called Bobby when I got your message," Crowley told her. "He said he sent you one, too."

"Yeah, I got it," Gail said in reply. "Thanks," she added.

"So I suppose you're still an Angel, then," Crowley remarked.

She laughed shortly. "Well, partly, anyway."

"But your boyfriend, on the other hand..."

"Yeah. Not so much," she said wryly.

"Have you left him for good, then?" Crowley asked her.

She looked at him sharply, but his expression was hard to read. "Is that you asking, or him?" she said warily.

"I haven't spoken with him yet," Crowley replied evenly.

"Well, when you do, I would appreciate it if you left me out of the conversation," she said.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't be initiating the call," Crowley said sardonically. "I understand that he and a certain Winchester of our mutual acquaintance visited one of my branch offices yesterday and conducted some business. As a result, I have to hire some new staff, and you know how hard it is to get good help around the holidays."

Gail didn't know whether to laugh or just roll her eyes. Only Crowley could take a gruesome massacre like what she was sure had happened at his den in Tampa and make it sound like a mere business setback.

"Be that as it may, I am prepared to offer you my assistance, since you seem to be the only one who has ever shown me any appreciation," Crowley said to her, smiling faintly. "As you are apparently still an Angel, you can consider it a Christmas present. But if anyone asks, I never said that. I do have a reputation to maintain."

Now Gail did smile. Funny how he seemed to be the only one who could make her smile these days. What a pathetic commentary on her life. Her smile quickly faded at that thought. "I would appreciate any help you can give," she said to him sincerely. Her eyes started to tear up. Was she really going to cry on the King of Hell's shoulder? Apparently, she was.

And, incredibly, Crowley took the handkerchief out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. "Here," he said uncomfortably. It was strange for him to be standing here alone with her, on today of all days, feeling compassion for her. Next thing he knew, he was going to be riding a sleigh into Whoville.

Gail took the handkerchief and blotted her eyes, then made a motion to hand it back to him. "Keep it," he said shortly.

She looked at him, then looked at the handkerchief. Wow. The only Christmas present she had received in years, and it had come from the King of Hell. Not exactly what she had envisioned this Christmas to be like. When Cas had brought Frank back, Gail had had visions of the men all sitting down to dinner at her and Cas's house. She was going to have a tree, and presents for everyone, and she had been planning to ask Bobby for the gift of an appetite that day so she could gorge herself on turkey and chocolates. They'd all eat and drink far too much and they'd all be napping in the living room by 9. Would that have been too much to ask?

Crowley sighed. He'd better get to what he had come here to say before she started bawling again. Boy, did he ever hate Castiel right now. Why the hell had he even brought him back from the dead in the first place?

"You need to talk to Metatron," Crowley said to her. "I can't guarantee that it will do you any good, but I'm willing to facilitate a meeting. Get Sam and Dean and meet me back here in, say, two hours."

Impulsively, Gail threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she said softly.

Surprised, he briefly returned her hug, then he stepped back. "Oh, and tell Dean the next time he decides to downsize my staff, we might have a problem," he said sarcastically. "But I'll give him a pass today. What the hell, it's Christmas."

She smiled, but before she could think of a suitable rejoinder, Crowley was gone.

Once Gail had left, Cas rubbed his cheek where she'd slapped him. If there was any Castiel present in him at this point, he would have cried at what he had done to her, maybe even taken his blade to himself. But this Cas smiled. That had been kind of cute. He could respect her for that, actually. Gail was just establishing her boundaries. Everyone had them; you just had to learn what they were. Perhaps he had gotten a little too carried away last night. He would promise her he'd never go quite that far again. She willingly let him do just about everything else to her that he wanted, anyway.

Well, if he was going to have to apologize, he supposed he'd better clean himself up first. There was blood on his hands and his chest, and probably in a few other places as well. Her blood. He felt a warm rush when he thought of it. He'd thought that was an extremely intimate moment between them, but she had drawn the line. Too bad. Live and learn.

Which reminded him; he'd better clean his blade as well. He walked over to the nightstand and picked it up, taking it with him to the bathroom. In doing so, he knocked over Gail's picture and it fluttered to the ground behind the nightstand. Cas didn't notice.

He washed her blood from himself and from the blade, and he dressed in one of her favourite outfits of his. He even splashed some cologne on. Was there anywhere he could get some flowers today? No, probably not; it was Christmas, after all. Oh, well. He'd just pour on the charm, promise her the blade would stay out of the bedroom from now on. He'd even shaved. He knew she liked the stubble, but it would grow back in a couple of days. He'd have to go easy on her for the next few days, anyway. She'd been in pretty bad shape.

She would have gone to the bunker, of course. He was really going to have to finesse his way out of this one. This time, the brothers would be more forceful. When Gail told them she was coming back with Cas, they would not be too happy about it. But with his powers and Gail's combined, there would be very little Sam and Dean could do about it. She'd probably be mad if he hurt them, though. He should have dosed her again when he had the chance. She still had too much of a conscience. But he would do it her way, for now. Crowley could provide an outlet for his need for bloodletting.

Cas winked out of the house, heading for the bunker.

Bobby had given Gail the all-clear, and she was in the bunker now. She still had Crowley's blanket wrapped around her. Sam had tried to take it, but she had shrugged him off. She wanted to keep it on herself for a while, not only for the warmth it provided, but for the warm feeling it gave her. She'd been thirsting for any sort of kindness after the brutal night she'd had. Sam and Dean and Bobby were kind to her, of course, but they were also angry at her, she knew, and they judged her for having gone back to Cas in the first place. None of them understood how she felt about Cas, how badly she'd wanted to make it work until they could find a cure for him. Even now, she missed him and she wondered what he was doing. But she'd better try to put that out of her mind. He was not her Castiel, he was something else, and he was not healthy for her right now.

Gail sipped at the hot chocolate she'd asked for, both for the warmth it provided and for something to do with her hands. She guessed she was having her Christmas chocolate after all, she thought wryly. At least that was one bonus to the poison in her system; she seemed to be able to ingest small amounts of liquids now without it seeming overwhelming. She'd enjoyed the wine she had with Jody, and she was savouring this, too. Maybe later on she'd try a cup of her beloved coffee.

Bobby was staring at her speculatively. He could see her face, which was bad enough; he could just imagine what that blanket and those clothes must be hiding. But he could see how skittish she was. Sam and Dean were looking murderous, and he'd have to tell them to try to lighten up a bit. Bobby knew better than any of them the mentality of a woman in Gail's situation, and he knew that them sitting there judging her wasn't going to help. And he could see her eyes darting around to look at all three of them. She felt like they were ganging up on her, and she could sense the anger radiating out of the boys. Bobby was enraged as well, but he had peeked into her thoughts and seen that she had made up her mind to stay away from Cas. So Bobby felt safe enough to leave her with Sam and Dean, and with the extra protections he'd installed around the bunker, there shouldn't be a problem.

"Well, I'm gonna get out of here," Bobby said, rising. "Dean, can I see you for a second?" He and Dean went down the hallway, out of Gail and Sam's earshot.

"You guys are gonna have to lighten up," Bobby said to Dean. "Especially Sam. She doesn't need to hear all about how you guys are gonna kick his ass, or about how you told her not to go back there. Maybe try a little compassion. Tell Sam that, too. I don't like the way he's looking at her right now."

And it was true. Sam was looking at Gail like she was somehow to blame for this whole thing. He'd told her not to go back, but she had, and just look at her now. He wasn't just going to kick Cas's ass, he was going to kill him. Even if they could miraculously find a cure for Cas, Sam wasn't going to let him near Gail again. He didn't deserve her. Even when Sam had been under the influence of Demon blood, he never would have treated Gail this way. He'd never be able to forgive Cas. Never.

Dean sighed. "Yeah, Bobby, I get it. But she's like a sister to us. How are we supposed to feel?"

Bobby frowned. Dean didn't really get it. Bobby had peeked into Sam's thoughts too, and Sam might be thinking about Gail a little differently. Sam was feeling like he might be the hero to Cas's villain, and while Bobby thought that was OK in principle, when weapons and otherworldly powers were mixed with strong emotions, things got dangerous.

"Just go easy on her, Dean. That's all I'm saying. It's Christmas, for God's sake. Maybe make some eggnog or something."

Dean looked taken aback at that. Bobby was right; it was Christmas, and he and Sam hadn't done a damn thing about it. Like Gail, Dean had been kind of hoping that they all could have gotten together, either here or at Cas and Gail's house, and celebrated by eating too much and definitely drinking too much. But the time had gotten away from them, and he and Sam hadn't even done anything for each other, let alone for anyone else. And now, this. What a crappy Christmas. But he did feel compassion for Gail. At least he and Sam were in one piece. They'd have to try to help her, if she'd let them.

"You've gotta heal her, Bobby," Dean told him.

Bobby looked grim. As much as he'd like to do that, he didn't think Gail was ready for him to march over there and start touching her. Look at the way she had reacted when Sam had tried to take the blanket.

"I will, Dean," Bobby said. "But we've got to give her a bit of time. She's been traumatized. We can only help her when she decides to accept our help."

Now it was Dean's turn to frown. He guessed he could understand what Bobby was saying, but it was frustrating to him. He was a man of action; sitting around waiting wasn't his strong suit. But, boy, Cas had better hope those protections held. If he showed up here, Dean was going to give him the ass-kicking of his life.

He and Bobby walked back to the table where Sam and Gail were sitting. Sam was sitting beside her now, and he was staring at her. Bobby nudged Dean, raising an eyebrow, then gestured at Sam. Yeah, Dean was going to have to get Sam to stand down. Gail was avoiding all of their eyes now, and she did not look happy to be here.

Sam's constant scrutiny was making Gail uncomfortable. Maybe she shouldn't have come here. The men were upset, and rightfully so, but she was feeling pressure from them. What did they want from her? She would have to sort out her feelings for Cas, if she had any left, in her own time and in her own way, and their baleful stares weren't helping. Maybe she should have just asked Crowley if he could stash her somewhere. He had been the only one she'd seen this morning who she felt wasn't judging her. How could he, after all? Look who he was. But he had shown her kindness without anger, and he had not looked at her with accusing eyes. If Sam continued to stare at her that way, she would pop him one. She'd already slugged one of her most near and dear today; why not make it two?

Bobby walked up to Gail and stood over her. She shrank back for a second. Yeah, she wasn't ready yet, he thought. He'd have to wait a while. He leaned down and kissed her very gently on the forehead. "I'll see you later, dear," he said to her. He tried a smile. "See if you can get these guys to lighten up a little. Would you like me to give you an appetite for the day? Maybe they could get you a hot turkey sandwich from the diner."

Gail looked up at him and her mouth twitched, which Bobby took as a hopeful sign. "I might like that," she said. She knew Bobby was only trying to help her, and he looked so concerned that she almost felt like consoling him.

Bobby put his hand on her head for a moment. He remembered how Cas had done that for Gail and for himself when Cas had been God. That had been a good memory, but now it just depressed him. What a balls-up kind of situation this had turned out to be. Even if they managed to cure Cas, he'd have to put those four in therapy for about a year to straighten out their feelings. Maybe he'd join them. But Bobby was a realist. Cas was dangerous right now, and if they couldn't cure him soon, he was going to have to be sacrificed for the good of them all.

Now that Gail had an appetite, she really wanted her turkey, and she smiled at Sam and Dean. "Would you mind going to the diner?" she asked them.

"Of course we'll take you," Sam said, pleased that she was smiling. Once she was fed, they could see about her injuries.

"No, I meant, could you get it for me and bring it back here?" Gail said. "I don't want to go out in public looking like this," she said in a more subdued voice, avoiding their eyes again.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. They guessed they could understand that. And she seemed to be coming out of her shell a bit. If they went and got some food and ate here together, maybe she would relax enough to let them fix her up a bit. Bobby had assured them that the extra protections on the bunker would keep Cas out, so they could leave her here by herself for a few minutes.

"OK, Gail," Dean said. "We'll be right back." He looked wistful. "Maybe they have pie."

Gail laughed. Him and his pie. She blessed Bobby. This could be just what she needed. She and the brothers could sit around and tease each other, have a good meal, and maybe even a couple of drinks. She would do her best to have a good Christmas, and she would definitely not look at the empty chair beside her. Maybe she'd ask to eat in the kitchen.

Dean grabbed his keys. "We'll be back in a few," he told Gail, and she nodded. Maybe she'd use her alone time to check herself in the mirror, see just how bad she looked. At the very least, she could wash up.

"Sam, do you think I could have one of your T-shirts to wear?" she asked him shyly. "I thought I would freshen up a bit while you guys are out."

Sam brightened. "Sure, Gail, just go into my room and take whatever you need."

"Thanks, Sam," Gail said.

The brothers went to the garage and got into the Impala, and Dean pressed the remote to open the garage door. He backed out slowly; then, as he waited for the door to close behind them, Cas appeared in the back seat. He put one hand on each of the brothers' heads, and winked them all back to the house.

When Cas had first arrived at the bunker, he had tried to wink himself in but was unable to do it. What the hell? After a few attempts, he had to conclude that they had done something to keep him out.

He paced around outside, frustrated. Cas was sure they had Gail in there, and the longer they kept her, the more time the Winchesters would have to poison her mind against him. But what could he do about it? He thought furiously. How could he get to her? And how could he neutralize the brothers?

Just when he'd been about ready to give up and go back to the house, Cas had seen the door to the garage open up, and he saw Sam and Dean pull out. No Gail. They had left her in the bunker, and he couldn't get to her in there. But he now had the leverage he needed.

Gail washed up as best she could at the sink in the bathroom, then she wandered into Sam's room to see what she could find. She'd been thinking to wear one of his T-shirts as a dress; it would certainly be long enough, she thought, smiling. But she still didn't own any underwear, and that might feel too awkward. Plus, she knew the rest of her body looked just as bad as the parts that were showing, and she didn't want them to see how bad it really was. So Gail chose to keep on the pants she was wearing, and she chose one of his flannel shirts from the closet instead. She removed the blanket from her shoulders and gingerly pulled off her top. It had crusted blood on it, so she bundled it up in the blanket. They could wash it later, or burn it, she didn't really care. She buttoned Sam's shirt slowly; it was weird how the buttons on mens' shirts were backwards, she thought. But she was glad Sam was so tall; the shirt completely covered her torso and arms. In fact, the sleeves were quite long; she rolled them up until only her hands were showing. Then she went back and looked at herself in the mirror again. She was about as covered up as she was going to get, and she looked marginally better once she'd washed the dried blood off her face. That would have to do for now.

Then Gail walked back to the library table and sat there, waiting. Her eyes wandered around the room. So many memories. A lump formed in her throat and her eyes started to well up. God help her, she was going to cry again. She was certainly entitled, but Gail was so sick of crying, so sick of drama. She should have just stayed in the truck with Frank and let the Demons take them to Crowley. Gail sighed. Oh, well. There had been good times over the past year, also. She had met some good humans and some good Angels, and she had been loved by the best Angel and the best man she could have ever hoped to meet. But Shakespeare was full of it, she thought. It was definitely not better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, in her opinion. If she had never met Castiel, she would not be missing him so much right now. Her eyes kept straying to the chair beside her. He should be sitting there, and they should be holding hands. Better still, they should all be having Christmas Day together at the house. But Gail had not given up on the idea of a cure for Cas. When Sam and Dean got back, they would eat and she would tell them about Crowley's offer. He had wanted the three of them to meet him at the crossroads in a couple of hours to discuss the possibility of talking to Metatron, to find out what he had put in that damn love potion. Gail didn't care what she had to do, she had to figure out a way to make that happen, make Metatron tell her what he had done to Cas. She had to at least try.

Suddenly, Sam's cell phone rang. Gail looked down at the table where it sat. Should she answer it? Maybe she'd better; it might be Dean calling, asking her what kind of pie she wanted. She smiled. She got up and grabbed the phone, and sure enough, the Call Display said "Dean calling". So Gail answered. "I'll have one of every kind," she quipped.

"Gail?" Cas's voice. "When are you coming home?"

Gail's blood ran cold. Damn it. She really didn't want to talk to him right now. But, wait a minute: "Where are you, Cas?" she asked warily. And why did the Call Display say it was Dean calling?

"I'm at home," he said softly, "waiting for you."

Her heart sank. "Well, you're going to be waiting a while," she retorted.

"Sam and Dean are here, and they want you to come," Cas told her. He sounded very calm, almost cheerful.

Gail was really puzzled now. Sam and Dean were at the house? Had they driven out there instead of to the diner, looking to confront Cas?

"They showed up there?" she asked him.

"Well, not exactly," Cas answered. "It's more like I brought them."

Crap. He had been laying in wait outside the bunker, and he'd taken the brothers when they'd left to go to the diner. And it was her fault. Her and her damn turkey.

"Are they all right, Cas?" Gail asked, frowning.

"Yes, they're fine, Gail," he answered, his voice light and gentle.

"Can I talk to them for a minute?" Gail said. She had to make sure.

"Sure," Cas said. A moment later, Dean's voice: "Don't do it, Gail. Stay there."

She heard a smacking sound. "That's not what you're supposed to say, Dean," she heard Cas say.

"We're not telling her to come here, you son of a bitch," Sam, in the background. Another smack.

Cas came back on the phone. "As you've heard, they're both fine," he told her. "For now."

Gail sighed. "What do you want, Cas?" she asked him in a shaky voice.

"I told you," he said. His voice was calm and steady, almost eerily so. "I want you to come home. You belong here with me. We'll sit down and talk about last night. I know what I did was wrong, and I can promise you it'll never happen again."

"Promises," Gail scoffed. I've heard those before." And why was she even talking to him, anyway? Because he was obviously holding Sam and Dean there as blackmail for her to come back. Would he really hurt them? Unfortunately, the Cas he was now very likely would. And she would be responsible.

"All right, Cas. I'll come home. But you're never going to hurt me like that again. If you do, I'll kill myself." And Gail wasn't being melodramatic, either. She knew she wouldn't be able to take another night like that, either physically or emotionally. If this version of Cas still loved her in any way, which she thought he must if he was willing to kidnap the Winchesters in order to get her to return to him, hopefully he would not hurt her like that again. God help her, she still had enough Demon in her now to enjoy sex with him if he didn't get too rough, and she still loved her Castiel and wanted him back. At least, she felt that way right now. It would depend on how long she had to co-exist with his alter ego, and how quickly she and the Winchesters could obtain a cure. That was, if they were still willing to help her after this. If not, she'd speak to Crowley alone.

So she sent out a message to Crowley, advising him there had been a slight change of plan and she'd be in touch. Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and popped out of the bunker.

A moment later, Gail reappeared in the living room of the house to see a horrifying and heartbreaking sight.

Sam and Dean were bound to two of the dining room chairs, and their faces were bleeding. They'd obviously smart-mouthed Cas and he had hit them, at the very least. Other than that, though, they seemed uninjured, just extremely angry.

Cas was pacing the living room floor in front of the brothers holding his blade, and when she appeared, he rushed to her. She shrank back, seeing the blade in his hand, and he stowed it in his jacket immediately, holding his arms out to her. She submitted to his embrace. "Not so hard, Cas," she said, wincing at his tight grip, and he eased up. "Thank you," she said to him. If she was going to have to deal with him like this, she would have to establish some ground rules, or at least try to. Hopefully, he would cooperate.

But the important thing now was to get Sam and Dean safely away from here. She had to communicate with them first, though, to let them know she had a plan in place. It was the only way she could think of to keep them safe; otherwise, they'd probably keep on trying to get her out of there, and she didn't want them anywhere near Cas right now. Time to see how persuasive she could be.

"I need to talk to Sam and Dean for a minute," she said to Cas.

"So, talk," he said casually.

"Alone, Cas," she said firmly.

"No," he said, frowning. "They'll just take you away again."

"Cas, they're tied up," Gail pointed out. "And they're humans. I want to tell them that I want to stay here, and to leave us alone. And I want to give them a message to pass along to Frank, too. I don't want him dropping by and bothering us."

Cas brightened, but Sam was alarmed. "You can't mean that, Gail," he said, shocked.

"Oh, but I do." She smiled for Cas's benefit. "Cas, please go upstairs for a minute. I'll talk to these guys, then I'll come up and get you."

"You really mean it? You really intend to stay?" He was looking at her speculatively. Could he believe her?

"Yes, I really mean it, Cas. You have my promise." She hated to do it, but it looked like he needed further convincing, so she kissed him on the mouth, running her tongue around his lips. He kissed her back, reaching for her, but she kept him away with her hands. "Not in front of them," she said, smiling. "There'll be plenty of time for that once they're gone."

"All right, Gail," he said, "but if you're not up there in five minutes, I'm coming back down."

"I will be, Cas," she assured him.

Cas glared at Sam and Dean. He knew they were secured, but he felt compelled to say, "If you try to take her from me again, I will kill you both."

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but Gail didn't want him to receive a further beating, or worse, so she said, "Keep your big mouth shut, Dean." But she turned her back to Cas and gave Dean a wink. Hopefully, he would get the message.

Dean shut his mouth, and Gail turned back to Cas. He was smiling at what she'd said to Dean. She was taking his side against the brothers, and he was pleased.

Cas left the room and went upstairs, and Gail let out the breath she'd been holding.

"What the hell, Gail? What's the matter with you?" Sam shouted.

"That's good, Sam, you just keep on shouting," Gail said quietly, approaching the brothers. "You too, Dean. But I only have a minute here, so let me say what I need to say."

Dean was already clued in. He yelled, "There's no way you can stay here with him, Gail! You're crazy!" Gail gave him the thumbs-up, but Sam looked confused, so she looked at him and put a finger to her lips.

"Crowley's going to help us get to Metatron," Gail told them softly. "Stay at the bunker and I'll be there as soon as I can shake Cas. Promise me you'll stay there. I don't want you guys around him any more."

"What about you, Gail?" Sam said, but in a quieter voice. He was starting to get it now. She was going to trade herself for their lives, and she was still holding out hope for a cure. But to turn to Crowley? Boy, she must be desperate.

"I'll be fine," she said, somewhat unconvincingly.

"You'll be fine," Dean said sarcastically. "Like you're fine right now?"

"I'll be better once I know you guys are safe," she told him. "And I'll be fine once we figure out the cure." She sure hoped so, anyway.

But Sam was shaking his head. He couldn't let her do this.

"This is the way it's got to be, Sam," she said, as if he'd spoken aloud. And he really didn't have to. But she was running out of time. "Stay in the bunker, and I'll come there as soon as I can. But don't involve anyone else. It's too dangerous."

"What about Bobby?" Dean said. He could kind of see the logic in what she was doing, but he was fuming, too. Bobby was going to kill them if they just left her here. And Crowley was going to help them? Why would he do that? Could he even be trusted?

"I don't know what you're going to tell Bobby, Dean," she said, frowning. "But I'm out of time. I've got to go upstairs. Can you just trust me?"

Without waiting for an answer, she turned her back on them and hurried up the stairs. Cas was on the landing; he'd been about to come down. Hopefully, he hadn't heard anything.

"OK, Cas," she said in a light tone. "Send them back to the bunker and then we'll spend some time alone together. They've promised me they'll leave us in peace, if we leave them in peace."

He looked at her, but said nothing. He rushed down the stairs, but Sam and Dean were still there, and she hadn't released them from their bonds. She must really mean it, he thought, and he smiled. That's all he truly wanted, anyway. If Sam and Dean didn't give him a reason to kill them, he would leave them alone.

"So you'll leave us alone, as agreed, right?" Gail said to Sam and Dean. Cas's back was to her and she made a gesture. Please, go along.

The brothers glared at Cas but said nothing for a moment; then Sam said, "If you hurt her again, we'll kill you."

Cas's expression remained unchanged. He would expect them to say that. It's what he would have said in their position. He gave Sam a mock bow. "So we have an understanding. You'll leave us alone and let us live our lives as we see fit. And just to set your minds at ease, I will treat Gail with the utmost respect. She's my partner, and I love her. She expressed her - displeasure - with me this morning over my conduct of last night, and I have taken the lesson." He smiled. He didn't mind that she had hauled off and slapped him. It actually made him love her more.

Dean sighed. Was there any Cas left in there at all? How could they just believe him? How could she?

"I think it might be best if you went on the road for a while," Cas said to the brothers. He turned to Gail, reaching into his pocket for his blade. But he turned it around immediately, handing it to her hilt first. "Go ahead, free them," Cas said to her.

"You should just stab him with it, Gail," Sam spat out.

Cas turned to him, amused. "An Angel blade? She can go right ahead," he said, smiling.

Crap. So it was as bad as that, Dean thought. He'd suspected as much.

Gail took the blade and started sawing through the ropes that bound the Winchesters.

"Once you're free, I'll send you back to the bunker," Cas said to them. "But I'd advise you not to try anything. I really would. I doubt that Gail would approve of my hurting you, but I will if I have to. And tell Bobby and Frank the same thing. I have a very powerful ally now, and even a man with Godlike powers might have a difficult time dealing with three Originals."

Dean was startled. Was he talking about Crowley? He remembered the Demons back in Tampa talking about Cas being at the top of Crowley's "no-harm" list. But Gail was saying that Crowley was willing to help them. What was going on here? Whose side was the King of Hell actually on?

Once Gail had freed Sam and Dean, she stood back, and Cas put a hand on the brothers' heads and they were gone.

"Thank you," Gail said to him. If Crowley appreciated her expressions of gratitude, maybe he would, too.

Cas walked over to Gail and smiled down at her. "I'm glad you decided to come back," he said. Yeah, like he'd given her a choice. Cas kissed her and tried to open her lips with his tongue, but Gail forced herself not to respond.

"We have to talk about ground rules first," she said to him.

Cas frowned. "Such as?"

"No more blade, no more blood, no more pain," Gail said coolly. "If you can't agree to that, we're done. And the first time it happens again, I'm gone. And it won't be to the bunker. You'll leave Sam and Dean alone, as you promised. Oh, and we'll resume our lessons with Crowley," she concluded. It was essential that she communicate with the King of Hell as soon as possible, and it would be easier on her if Cas was with her, at least the first time. She still didn't know if he was a part of this mental wavelength thing between the Originals, and she didn't want to risk sending a mental message to Crowley as she had this morning under the protections of the bunker just in case Cas could listen in. If she could communicate with Crowley another way, she wouldn't need to worry about him eavesdropping. And she could kill two birds with one stone, as it were. Crowley could help as a go-between in her effort to get rid of Cas for a bit.

Cas brightened at the mention of Crowley. More proof that he and Gail were on the same page. "I'll contact him," he told her. "But come upstairs with me first."

Gail kissed him then, and this time she did give him her tongue. "Go ahead, I'll be up in a minute," she said to him, smiling.

He looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

Crap. She didn't have an excuse to give. But she needed a moment to do something she couldn't let him see.

"Another ground rule," she said to him. "Because I asked you to. Don't worry, I'll be up in just a moment." She moved in closer to him, stroking him through his pants. "It'll be worth your while."

"All right, Gail," Cas said. "You have two minutes." He headed upstairs, and she rolled her eyes. But there was no time to be annoyed right now. She hurried to the kitchen, where she opened a drawer and took out a pad of paper and a pen. She scribbled a note, then folded it up, returned the items to the drawer, and put the note in the palm of her hand. Then she walked upstairs and stood outside the bathroom. "I'm just going to wash up," she called out to Cas. "All right," he answered back. "Hurry."

Gail ran the water as a cover, then put the note underneath the bathmat to retrieve later. Then she turned off the water and walked into the bedroom. Cas was sitting on the bed waiting for her, and he stood when she entered the room. Just like he always used to stand when she entered a room, she thought sadly. But there was nothing gentlemanly about his expression.

He withdrew his blade from his jacket and she looked at him suspiciously.

"That's Sam's shirt, isn't it?" Cas asked her. He did not look pleased.

Gail sighed. "Yes, Cas. My top had dried blood on it," she said pointedly. "So I borrowed this shirt from him. But don't look at me like that. He wasn't in the vicinity at the time. He would have been here, in fact." She spoke coolly, but her heart started beating faster. Why did he have the blade in his hand? Many times, in those movies, the man retaliated out of anger when the woman left him. Well, he'd just have to do it, then, if she didn't pop out of here first.

Cas inserted the blade between two of the buttons on the shirt as Gail held her breath. "Well, he'll just have to buy a new one, then. I won't see anything of his on you. Not if he wants to continue living." He brought the knife down, ripping the shirt. "There," he said, handing her the blade. "Take it," Cas said to her. "Put it wherever you like. I won't be needing it in here."

Gail let out her breath. Thank God. "I'll just put it out in the hall," she told him. "You can have it back...after." And she did need him to have it, unfortunately. But she had won a small victory, at least temporarily.

She put the blade on the floor just outside the bedroom, then came back in, closing the door behind her.

"Please heal me, Cas," she appealed to him. "I'm in a lot of pain." There would be nothing he could do about the bruises and abrasions, but at least he could heal the cuts he had inflicted on her with his blade, and those were the most painful, anyway. Wow. That had been an escalation she hadn't seen coming, even though both Jason and Crowley had alluded to it. It had all happened so fast. She had been in so much pain already she hadn't realized what was happening at first. Then he was licking her blood off her body, and his eyes had been almost black. She had been in such denial that he would ever really hurt her, even though she had been wearing his marks all over her body. But that was the first time she had ever been genuinely afraid of him. So she had let him lap up her blood as if it had been some kind of unholy communion, and she had moaned. But not in pleasure, as he had thought, but in despair over what he had become. And when he had somewhat surprisingly dozed off, she had crept to the bathroom and cried, then started to pack.

And now she was back again, letting him take her clothes off and laying down on the bed for him. Cas touched her gently with his hands, healing whatever he could. She was still marked up, but at least she would not bleed any more. He still felt warm at the memory, and it had excited him to have her blood inside of him, as she had his inside of her. But he supposed he'd better let that thought alone. She had made it obvious she wouldn't stand for it again.

But he knew what she did like, and he moved his tongue down her body until he got to the place she liked it the most.

Gail closed her eyes. She did enjoy the sensation, but last night was still too fresh. She had to fool her body into thinking this was her Cas to produce the reaction she knew he was looking for. So she pictured the two of them in the bunker when they'd first met, exchanging shy glances. Their first kiss in her bedroom there, and what she imagined he'd be like. Cuddling in their apartment and in motel rooms, his arms wrapped lovingly around her. Feeling so secure, and so loved. And of course, their nights in Las Vegas. He had started out so shy and tentative, but eventually, he had done what he was doing to her now, and she had cried out his name, telling him how much she loved him. Then they had run away from the impending tribunal together, and their time in Vancouver had been idyllic but all too brief. Even though they could no longer be physically intimate, they had been emotionally intimate. When they'd undergone the ordeal of the tribunal together, supporting each other, Gail had truly felt like they had become mates in every sense of the word. Even God had told them that they had technically been married by Him, and could consider themselves as such if they so chose. And then it seemed like they were on their way to rediscovering physical intimacy, despite being Angels, when Cas had been executed. Then Crowley had infected Cas with his Demon essence when he'd brought Castiel back to life, and then there had been the cabin. But she didn't want to dwell on the negative now. Gail focused on how much she loved Cas, the real one, and how much she'd loved having him make love to her.

She was excited now, and she started to whimper in the way he liked. Cas smiled. "I love you, Cas," she breathed. He was making her feel wonderful, as he'd done in Las Vegas.

When he was sure she was satisfied, Cas climbed on top of her and slipped into her. She licked his ear and whispered words of love, and he groaned appreciatively. He sped up his motion and they were saying each others' names, holding each other tighly but not too tight. And when they lay together after, his eyes were such a light violet they were almost the blue she remembered. She ached, but it was the good kind of ache, not painful at all. Well, except for the ache in her heart. She had fooled herself long enough to be here like this with this man, but she'd better not get too sentimental about it. Nothing had changed.

He'd wanted to do more, but she had begged off, pleading soreness. He'd frowned, and then opened her mouth with his tongue, putting her hand on him. She could be persuaded, he was sure. She stroked him, knowing he wouldn't be satisfied yet. But she was sore, and she didn't want to be here all day. She had to see Crowley. So she lowered herself down his body and took him in her mouth. She knew how he liked her to do this by now. She'd also done this to him in Las Vegas, and he had been so astonished by the feeling that he'd been rendered speechless. This Cas liked it too, and he was moaning loudly, holding her head. But he wasn't pulling her hair and he wasn't choking her. She counted her blessings. He had once again promised her he wasn't going to hurt her, and while she doubted his vow would hold indefinitely, Gail was thankful that it seemed to be holding for now. Hopefully her arrangement with Crowley would work out and she could find out what she needed to find out from Metatron. Gail didn't even know what she could do with the information if she did receive it, but, one step at a time.

Cas was breathing heavily now and she was moving with him. She risked teasing him for a moment, remembering how much he had liked it before; but only for a moment. She didn't want him to feel the need to seize her or treat her roughly in any way. So then she resumed, and he cried out. She lingered for a moment, making love to him. She really did like making him happy. And he would be calmer now, so they could go about their business.

He put his arms around her and brought her up to him. "You're so good to me," he murmured. She kissed his mouth with her tongue, and he responded, still trying to catch his breath. He started stroking her again, and now she was becoming tempted to just stay here all day. She could, easily; Gail was still so in love with Castiel that she was starting to blind herself again to who and what he really was now. What he was doing to her felt so good. She remembered when he had first touched her tentatively like this in Las Vegas, and she had moved with him, he'd looked so happy to be making her feel so good. The second night he'd been a little more confident, and they had tried a couple of other things with each other. But it had all been good, like it had been today. She moved at his touch now, telling him she loved him, and he was smiling. Then she was crying out his name, burying her face in his neck, and Cas was happy. As long as he could continue to do this for her without hurting her, he knew she would never leave him.

Gail got out of bed and picked up a top and a pair of pants from the open suitcase. "I'm going to have a quick shower," she told Cas. "Give Crowley a call. I'll be out in just a few minutes." No response.

She looked at him. "Okay?" she asked lightly. He was propped up in bed, smiling at her, and he ran his tongue around his lips. "Are you sure?" he said, continuing to smile. And she almost took a step back towards the bed. This new, gentle yet seductive attitude of his was proving very effective. He knew that, she was sure. She sighed. If only.

"Regrettably, I am," she told him. "And I'd better go before I change my mind." She smiled briefly, then opened the bedroom door and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. After a moment's deliberation, she locked it. She hoped he wasn't angry that she'd left the bedroom, and she hoped he wouldn't try to follow her in here. He never had before, but still, better safe than extremely sorry. She ran the shower water, then quickly retrieved the note she'd written from under the bathmat and put it in the pocket of the pants she was going to put on after her shower. Hopefully, she'd be able to pass it to Crowley discreetly when the three of them met. If Cas was to catch her, she had the feeling his new vow of gentility would be forgotten.

Cas called Crowley on his cell phone.

"We're ready for another training session," Cas told him.

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Crowley said, puzzled.

Cas frowned. Had the King of Hell been drinking, or something? He would hardly be celebrating Christmas. "Gail and myself, you idiot," he snapped.

Crowley nearly broke the phone in two. How dare this thing speak to him that way? And what did he mean, him and Gail?

"Aren't you one Original short?" Crowley shot back. "Last I heard, she had the good sense to leave you."

"What do you know about it?" Cas asked suspiciously.

"I have my sources," Crowley said evasively. Why should he tell his Brother that he had spoken privately with Gail? And why was Castiel trying to lure him into a meeting under the guise of a training session? Gail was safely in the bunker with Moose and Squirrel now, and Crowley was sure that Bobby would have put the customary additional safeguards on the place. Castiel was not only dangerous, he was delusional. He wouldn't be seeing her again for a long, long time.

But then, incredibly, Crowley heard Gail's voice in the background: "Are we on?"

Crowley's jaw dropped open. She had gone back of her own accord? No. No way. Not after what he'd seen. Castiel must have kidnapped her, forced her to come back.

"Come here," Cas said, and Crowley could hear the sound of them kissing. He felt like he was going to throw up. But he supposed Gail had to placate his Brother so he wouldn't turn on her again. He'd better not try anything like that in Crowley's presence; he didn't know about all of Crowley's powers yet. But, why should he even meet with them, anyway? There was no longer any point, was there?

"I really hope we can see him today," Gail was saying in the background. Her voice was fainter now, as if she had moved away from the phone. "I was feeling kind of caged up in the bunker."

She was trying to tell him something, Crowley knew. Then he had it. She was referring to Sam and Dean, and her use of the word "cage" was deliberate, he was sure. Clever girl.

Crowley sighed. He had told her he would help her, after all. He supposed he could endure seeing his Brother for a few minutes to find out what she had in mind. But Castiel had better not smart-mouth him like that again, or he'd find out what the King of Hell was really capable of.

Crowley was already in the warehouse when they arrived. He looked at Castiel with disdain, then looked at Gail, scrutinizing her. She looked somewhat better than when he'd seen her last. Obviously, she had cleaned herself up and her cuts had been healed, likely by Bobby. Crowley could help with the bruises and abrasions, but he was not about to make the offer in front of his Brother. The last time, Castiel had authorized it, but he had been angry throughout the entire process. She could probably use the help even more now, but her boyfriend was a ticking time bomb who could go off at any moment and Crowley was not looking to test him. Crowley was just here to try to communicate with Gail, but how were they going to do so under Castiel's watchful eye?

Gail was wondering the same thing. She had the note for Crowley in her pocket, but how was she going to pass it to him undetected? As it was, she had almost been found out earlier. She'd approached Cas after her shower to make sure Crowley would hear her in the background of the phone call, and when Cas had grabbed her to kiss her, she'd obliged. But Cas's hand had started to roam, and he'd almost touched the pocket of her pants where she had the note. Thankfully, she'd been able to extricate herself from his grasp and move across the room before he'd found the note.

Crowley approached the couple, still staring at Castiel with contempt. "What?" Cas snapped, irritated. "Oh, nothing," Crowley said casually. "I was just thinking how refreshing it is not to be the worst person in the room for a change."

Castiel laughed shortly. "You think so? Well, I wouldn't bet on it."

Crowley raised his eyebrows. Really? There was a lot he could say to the former Angel on that subject, but their domestic issues were not his problem. He was still quite perturbed, to say the least, about Castiel's part in the massacre of his minions in Tampa. Dean, he would expect it from; but he and his Brother were supposed to be on the same side now, weren't they? Hadn't that been the point of this whole debacle in the first place?

"About Tampa," Crowley said to him coolly, but Castiel interrupted him. "What about it?" he said angrily. "I needed the release, and I saw the opportunity. They were only minions, anyway. Completely replaceable."

"Be that as it may, you can't just - " Crowley tried again, but again Castiel interrupted him.

"Oh, but I can," he said, staring Crowley down. "I'll kill as many as I want to. As many as I need to. And if you don't like it, I may just have to kill you, too. Hell hasn't had a change of management in quite some time. Maybe it's time for a new King." Cas looked at Gail. "And Queen." He smiled at the thought. He'd just said it to piss his Brother off, but now that Cas thought about it, the notion definitely had its appeal. Then he and Gail could truly have the freedom to live as they wanted, with no more human or Angel interference.

Crowley was equal parts enraged and amused. He was sure that Gail would never go for such a thing; she simply wasn't evil enough. But he was beyond angry that Castiel would have the nerve to even suggest it. Crowley really had the motivation to help Gail now, and to keep her safe. He wasn't particularly afraid of his Brother, but if Castiel were to begin dosing Gail again and successfully turn her, they could make things very difficult for him if they were to work together. He'd better figure out how to talk to Gail so they could get things moving in the right direction.

But he had to talk to the Winchesters first. "I'll be right back," he said to them, and snapped himself outside the warehouse.

What had Cas done? Gail thought despairingly. He'd chased Crowley off with his ridiculous talk about them taking over Hell. Had he just been yanking Crowley's chain, or had he been serious? He was smiling, so it was kind of hard to tell. His smile carried a lot of different meanings these days.

"Why did you have to go and do that?" she said to him. "We're here to get information from him, not to make him mad."

"So he'd mad, who cares?" Cas said casually. "He's always mad about something."

Gail sighed. "Where do you suppose he's gone?" She was getting worried about Crowley's sudden disappearance now. Was he coming back? And if he did, would he be bringing back a bunch of Demons with him to kick their asses in retaliation for what Cas had said? To teach them a lesson about threatening the King of Hell? She said this to Cas now.

Cas grinned. "Oh, I hope he does that," he told her. "I would enjoy that very much."

This was getting her nowhere. Of course he would like that. Presumably, he would help to protect her, but her purpose in encouraging this meeting here today was to try to pass the note to Crowley, and she could hardly do that now, could she? And what was the King of Hell doing?

He was outside the warehouse, talking to Dean on his cell phone.

"She's all right," Crowley was saying in response to Dean's question. "But Castiel's off his nut. He's talking about taking over Hell from me. I've been trying to talk to Gail to set up a meeting with her and you two, but he won't leave her alone for a minute. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Dean said. He still couldn't believe this whole thing. Thank God Gail was OK, but Dean couldn't believe he was talking to the King of Hell on Christmas Day, conspiring to meet with him to stop the finest Angel Dean had ever known from taking over Hell. Bizarro didn't even begin to cover it.

"You and Moose stand by," Crowley said to him. "I think I have a way to get rid of him for a while. It's worked before. Then, Gail and I will come there. She'll have to fetch you, of course," he said wryly. Crowley had never been able to enter the bunker, even with the standard protections. And perhaps that was just as well.

Dean reluctaantly agreed. It was the best option they had going at the moment. The only option, really.

Cas had Gail up against one of the walls, and he was kissing her. "Consider it," he said. He slipped his hands under her top, caressing her. "We would have total autonomy. We would never have to answer to anyone ever again. We could make our own rules." He pushed himself against her. "No one judging us. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

And it did, it really did. They had both been judged in Heaven, and look how that had turned out. Thank God he hadn't dosed her again, or Gail might have given in. His argument was persuasive as it was. Cas had always been able to charm her, and now he had the Devil's tongue on his side, both figuratively and literally. But this was Hell he was talking about. No way, nohow.

"Cas..." she started to say, but the Devil's tongue was in her mouth now, and she felt herself responding. His hands were wandering, undoing her pants, and then there was a crinkling sound. She froze. The note!

He looked at her. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Gail breathed. She was terrified.

Cas was looking at her suspiciously. "I heard something."

"I didn't hear anything," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She began to stroke him through his pants. Maybe if she distracted him enough, he'd forget about it.

He started to move against her hand, but he was still staring at her. Oh God, he was going to find the note any second now, and there was no way she was going to be able to explain.

A coughing sound, behind Cas. "Would you two keep it in your pants until you get home?" Crowley said sardonically.

Cas eased up, rolling his eyes. "Hold that thought," he said to her. Damn Crowley. He could have waited a few more minutes. And how on earth did the King of Hell get to be such a prude, anyway?

Gail hurriedly did her pants back up and pulled her top back down. Phew. Crowley had saved her there.

Cas wheeled around to look at Crowley, but he was alone. No Demon army behind him. A shame, really.

"I thought about what you said," Crowley said to Castiel. "And I see no reason why we can't all work something out. I'm proposing a partnership."

Cas frowned. That wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind.

"We're listening," Gail said, moving out from behind Cas and walking towards Crowley.

"I wasn't talking to you," he said to her. "I was talking to my Brother."

Gail stopped short. What was this, now? He wasn't serious, was he? Were the two of them about to sell her out?

"I want you to come to Hell with me," Crowley said to Castiel. "We'll have a drink, and we'll talk. You can visit a few old friends while you're there. Gail can stay here, and when you and I are done with our meeting, the two of you can resume yours."

Cas's eyes narrowed. "Why can't she come with us?"

Crowley smiled. "You and I both know she's not ready yet. Observe." He snapped his fingers and a circle of holy oil drew itself around Gail on the warehouse floor. Then Crowley snapped his fingers again and he was holding a lit match. He dropped it on the ground in front of Gail and the flames licked their way around the circle.

"Try to step out of it, sweetheart," Crowley said to her. "If you can, you can come with us."

But she couldn't, of course. The only Angel ever to have been able to escape a circle of holy fire was Metatron. Naturally.

Gail looked at the two of them helplessly, her heart sinking. She was trapped, and she'd been double-crossed. The two of them were going to Hell to conspire, and she was screwed. Whatever had made her think she could trust the King of Hell?

"Pity you don't have some marshmallows to roast," Crowley said to her. "With a fire that intense, I imagine you could burn just about anything you wanted. Stay put; we'll be back in just a little while."

Gail was seething. Marshmallows, indeed. But what had he meant by that crack about burning anything she wanted? The only thing she had on her that she could burn was the note. The note! How could he have known about that? Was that what he meant? Was he just trying to get Cas out of the way so she could burn the note and avoid discovery?

Crowley gave her a slight nod. Oh, God, the King of Hell was in her head. How had he done that?

"We won't be too long," Cas said to her. He grinned. "You can relive this morning in your mind to pass the time. I can promise you more of the same when we get home."

"I'm sure I'll see you soon, as well," Crowley said to Gail, raising an eyebrow as if to send her another message. She wasn't getting it. But she had little choice but to stand here and wait to see what happened next.

But the instant they disappeared, she took the note out of her pants pocket and threw it on the fire.

Crowley had just been joking about the drink; the last thing he wanted to do was socialize. He had brought Castiel down here to get him away from Gail, and to keep him occupied while Crowley slipped back up to the warehouse to obtain Gail for their meeting with the Winchesters. He had tried to communicate this to her while Castiel had been there, but he couldn't say too much or his Brother would become suspicious. He may be brutal now, but he had never been unintelligent. Crowley had seen the look on her face; she'd thought he was double-crossing her. Not that he could particularly blame her, with the history they'd had. He hoped his cryptic comments had gotten through. At least she couldn't go anywhere in the meantime.

He'd known about the note, or at least, he'd had a feeling. Gail still thought like a human, and she'd looked so panicked when Castiel had been trying to get into her pants; a look he was not used to seeing from her when they had been engaged in that activity, Crowley thought with wry amusement. Luckily, his Brother had been so distracted he hadn't noticed. Crowley could just bet that she had a note for him somewhere on her person, and that she had been an inch or two away from discovery. So the King of Hell had interrupted the couple, and he'd provided the fire she needed to get rid of the note. He'd have to have a chat with her about using such crudely human methods, though. If Castiel had found her out, there would have been very little Crowley could have done to help her without giving the game away. He had to make sure Castiel still believed they were still allies so he could get him out of the way when he needed him out of the way. The sooner they were able to discover a cure and pour it down his throat, the better. Castiel may have been insufferable as an Angel, but he was intolerable as a Demon, and Crowley needed him back on the side of Heaven. He was too dangerous the way he was now, and too unpredictable.

Crowley brought him to the doorway of one of the torture rooms. "I've arranged a special treat for you," he told Castiel. "An old friend of yours, I believe. Why don't you go in and say hello?"

Castiel looked at him curiously. That didn't exactly narrow it down. As had been made all to evident at his tribunal, he had many enemies, and he had killed many times over.

Crowley made a gesture. "Go ahead. You'll thank me." He started to walk away, knowing full well his Brother wouldn't be able to resist going in that room.

And he was right. Castiel opened the door and walked into the room. There was a figure on the table, but the room was nearly dark. Jason? Xavier? Castiel was so hoping...He lit a couple of the torches on the wall with the one that was hanging by the door. Crowley's torture masters used medieval methods, and apparently, those methods extended to the lighting in the room. No matter. As long as he could see the blood and hear the screams, he'd be happy.

Castiel withdrew his blade and approached the figure on the table. It was Aurielle.

Crowley popped back into the warehouse and snapped his fingers, extinguishing the fire. Then he waved his hand and the circle of holy oil was gone.

He approached Gail. "Sorry about that, sweetheart. I trust you burned the note?"

She nodded, wide-eyed. "How did you know about that?"

He smirked. "Lucky guess. But you have to stop thinking like a human and start thinking like an Original. All you had to do was send me the message in your mind."

"But Castiel's an Original, too," she protested.

"Yes, but it's like having your own frequency on Angel Radio," he told her. "How do you think I was able to send you messages without him hearing?"

Gail was astonished. She honestly hadn't known she was able to do that. There was so much Crowley knew that she didn't. But now was not the time for that discussion.

"Where is he?" she asked Crowley.

He looked at her. She didn't want to hear the gruesome details, he was sure. "He's in Hell, being kept busy. Let's just leave it at that."

Gail felt nauseous. Yes, let's.

"I told Dean we would meet with him and Sam to discuss the meeting with Metatron," he told her. "There are a couple of terms that need to be explained, ones you might not like. Nor will they." He sighed. "But if this is really what you want to do, it's what needs to be done."

She looked at him warily. What did he mean by terms she wouldn't like? Was he trying to rope her into some kind of a deal involving Sam and Dean's souls? Well, that was never going to happen. As much as she loved Castiel, she could never do such a thing.

Crowley saw the look on her face. "Relax, sweetheart. It's nothing like that."

She looked at him sharply. "Are you reading my mind? Is that part of that Originals thing? If so, I wish you'd stop it. I hate it when God does it; I sure as hell don't want you doing it."

Crowley smiled sardonically. "There's no need in your case. Your face is an open book. If I were you, I'd practice in the mirror. Your lack of deception is regrettable right now, considering the precarious position you're in, wouldn't you say?"

He was right. She'd better work on that. If she was that transparent to Crowley, how was she going to continue to deceive Cas?

Gail sighed. "OK, Crowley. Point taken. Let's go see Sam and Dean."

Castiel stood over Aurielle with the blade in his hand. She was strapped to the table but not gagged, and she was still looking at him with admiration in her eyes, even after he had murdered her. Twice.

"Are you here to save me?" she asked, with hope in her voice.

She had to be kidding, Castiel thought. Was she actually that crazy?

"Don't you know where you are?" he asked her unbelievingly.

"Of course I know where I am," Aurielle replied. "I'm in Hell." Then she started to cry. "They've done such terrible things to me here, Castiel, and they've made me do horrible things, too. I was a good Angel once, and now I'm..." She broke down, unable to continue.

"You're a Demon," Castiel said bluntly. "What did you expect?"

"Yes," Aurielle replied. "Can you ever forgive me, Castiel?"

He stared at her. "No, I don't believe I can," he said quietly. "You know no Angel can enter Hell while still alive, don't you?"

Aurielle looked at him, puzzled. Why were his eyes so purple? They were still beautiful, as he himself was, but...what was he saying?

Cas gripped his blade tighter. She still wasn't getting it. She had thrown her lot in with Chuck and Metatron and had tried to kill Gail in Dallas. That was when Castiel had killed her for the first time, and God had sent her to Purgatory as punishment. Then she had sweet-talked a gullible Bobby into letting her back into Heaven, and she had sat there at Xavier's right hand, helping him put Castiel to death. But she had professed her love for Castiel at the same time. She sure had a funny way of showing it. He hadn't really been aware of her feelings for him until she had touched him in his prison cell. She had disgusted him then, and she disgusted him now. Who was it that had poured Metatron's doctored potion down Cas's throat in the first place?

"Why do you think I'm here, Aurielle? And how is it I'm able to be here?" Cas put his blade to her throat and Aurielle's eyes widened. What was wrong with him? Why was he so angry?

"I don't know," she whined.

"Well, I'll tell you then, since you're obviously too stupid to understand," Castiel barked at her. "I'm a Demon now, too. And it's your fault." Even as he was saying it, Cas wondered why he was so angry. Didn't he like himself the way he was now? He'd never felt freer in his life. Yes, he and Gail had had a couple of domestic hiccups recently, but she was back on board now, and he would keep her happy as long as she did the same. He should be thanking Aurielle. But he hated her at the same time. It was her fault that he had hurt Gail when all he'd meant to do was love her, and it was her fault that he felt the craving to spill blood, he was sure of it.

He took the blade away from her throat, turning it around in his hands. Where to begin?

Aurielle was still crying, and as the implications of what Castiel was telling her sank in, she began to sob. Had she screwed up the potion somehow? All she'd wanted was for Castiel to love her, and now, he hated her. But he was here in Hell, and he had come to see her. Why? He couldn't kill her again; he'd already done that. To torture her? She'd been constantly tortured since she'd gotten here. She had to hand it to Crowley, though. To send her beloved to her with hatred in his eyes and a knife in his hand? This was the worst torture she could ever endure.

"Go ahead, Castiel. Do what you will. I deserve it," Aurielle said to him sadly. At least she would be able to look at his face while he was doing it. But she was a Demon now, and so was he, apparently. So she said, "Could you free one of my hands?"

Castiel looked at her warily. Why would she want him to do that? But then he was doing it, though he wasn't really sure why. With only one hand free, she could hardly escape.

Aurielle put her hand on his, the one that was holding the blade. "Please, Castiel," she pleaded. "Do it."

He stared at her, incredulous. Was she this pathetically eager for his company? She had no idea what he was capable of now, or she wouldn't be saying that.

"Then let me touch you, and you can touch me," Aurielle said to him, smiling through the tears. If she was going to have to be a Demon now, she'd be a Demon, Aurielle thought. Castiel was here with her now, and Gail was nowhere in sight. It seemed that she'd finally been able to pry him away from her rival, after all. She continued to smile at him. "I can fulfill any needs you may have."

Castiel continued to gaze at her. He couldn't help but compare Aurielle to Gail. Gail had resisted him every step of the way. She had hit him in the face, left him to be with the Winchesters, and banned the blade from the bedroom, insisting he treat her gently and with respect. Now here was Aurielle, and she was begging him to do the things he'd tried to do with Gail, appealing to the most base urges he'd been having. All he would have to do was free Aurielle from her bonds and she would let him do anything to her that he wanted. Tempting him. They were in Hell, after all, and they were alone. Who would ever know?

He backed away from the table, horrified at the look on Aurielle's face and at what he'd been thinking. There were still some lines he couldn't cross. Castiel may be a monster now, but he loved Gail, and he'd respected her even more when she'd stood up to him. She was his true partner, not this pathetic wretch. He'd actually thought the clash of his and Gail's wills might make things more exciting. It might be fun to see how far he could push her, and how hard Gail might push back.

Castiel was done here. What good was torturing someone who was begging for it? He'd have to look elsewhere to satisfy his hunger for blood and pain.

"Good luck to you," he said quietly. "You're going to need it." Then he turned his back on Aurielle and left the room.

Crowley and Gail appeared just outside the bunker, and then she turned to him.

"Yes, I know," he said, before she could speak. "I'll wait here."

She popped into the library area. Sam leaped from his chair and rushed over to her, taking her face in both of his hands. "Are you all right, Gail? Did he hurt you?"

"No, Sam, I'm fine," Gail said. She put her hands on his and gently removed them from her face. "I'm OK, really."

"I had one hell of a conversation with Bobby," Dean said. "Thanks for that, by the way." But he was smiling, relieved to see she was OK.

Gail extricated herself from Sam and approached Dean, putting her hand on his arm. "Thanks, Dean," she said, answering his smile with a sad one of her own. "I appreciate Bobby's concern, and I'll have to let him know that at some point. But we have to do it this way so no one gets hurt. No one," she emphasized.

He got what she was trying to say. She was so hell-bent on saving Cas that she didn't want God to step in and kick his ass. She likely had a point; Bobby had been really angry that Gail had gone back to Cas, and that he and Sam had "allowed" it. Like they'd had a choice.

"We'll try it your way, Gail," Dean told her, "but if things go south, I can't guarantee that Bobby won't step in. His patience with Cas is pretty thin right now."

"So is ours," Sam said, frowning. "This idea of yours had better work."

Gail looked at them both. "Speaking of which, we'd better get to it. Crowley is outside, and he's going to tell me how we can get in to talk to Metatron."

"Do you want us to go out there and talk to him?" Sam asked.

"Can he come in here?" Gail asked them. "It's snowing again."

Dean looked at her, incredulous. "So what?"

"It's cold, and I just think it would be more civilized if we spoke in here," Gail replied evenly.

Dean threw up his hands. Great. No presents, no turkey, and now he was going to have to invite the King of Hell into his house on Christmas Day. This was really one for the books.

Sam couldn't believe it. She was willingly living with Demon Cas, letting him do God only knew what to her, and now she was talking about Crowley as if he were a person with feelings, who should be treated decently. What the hell was wrong with her?

Gail saw the looks on their faces and smiled despite herself. She got how absurd this whole situation was. "Bet you wish you'd run me over that night," she quipped.

The brothers both smiled slowly. How could you not love her? "Never," Dean said, drawing her in for a hug. "Sisters. Right, Sammy?" He made eye contact with his brother. "Right?" Dean repeated. His message was clear. Sam had better stop thinking what Dean knew he'd been thinking. Gail had made her choice a year ago, and if Sam had never completely accepted that, there was nothing they could do about it unless Gail gave up on Cas, or they weren't able to save him and Bobby had to deal with him.

Sam sighed. "Right," he said in a falsely cheerful voice. He'd try to get on board, he really would. But Cas was going to have to answer for everything he'd done, sooner or later. Sam was never going to forget, and he sincerely doubted he would ever be able to forgive.

"OK, Gail. Invite the little...invite Crowley in, then. We extend the invitation," Dean sighed.

Cas was going from room to room in Hell, all down the hall in the torture wing. He had a lot of anger to work off now, and fortunately, there was a never-ending supply of victims. He only dealt with the males, though. Whether it stemmed from a perverse sense of still being a gentleman, or the fact that every time he looked down at a female he saw Aurielle, he didn't know. He just knew he didn't want to look down at one and see Gail. He had a lust for blood and a great capacity for cruelty now, but Gail had drawn the line with him, and after seeing Aurielle, he had drawn one with himself. Never again.

"Hello, boys. I love what you've done with the place." Crowley crossed the library floor and smiled at the brothers.

Dean rolled his eyes. "We haven't done anything with the place."

"But that's just it. As our dear friend Metatron would say, 'it's a classic'," Crowley said. "And speaking of whom, we'd better get to it. I've provided Castiel with a number of distractions, but eventually he'll tire himself out and become suspicious of my absence."

Sam was horror-stricken. He could only imagine the kind of "distractions" Crowley could provide. And the fact that Cas was so enthusiastically availing himself of them to the point of tiring himself out made Sam want to vomit. He looked at Gail. How could she stand it?

Crowley smiled at Sam. "Stand down, Moose. One advantage to my Brother indulging himself is that he no longer has the appetite when he gets home." He looked pointedly at Gail. "Well, at least not for the kind of activity he's engaging in right now, anyway," Crowley added with some humour. He was still the King of Hell, and he wasn't going for his Boy Scout badge just yet.

Gail rolled her eyes. "OK. we get it. But let's get to it, then." She seated herself near the end of the table, not in her customary chair. She didn't want Crowley sitting beside her in Cas's usual chair. It was bad enough that it had come to this. She did wonder about what Crowley had said, though, and she hoped it was true. Cas had been tired out after his first foray into Hell, and then he had been blessedly gentle with her, as he had been last night. But, on the other hand, after he'd gotten back from the Demon den with Dean on Christmas Eve, he had been wild, and he had hurt her very badly. What had been the difference? And which version of him could she expect to see tonight?

Crowley sat down at the table, and after a moment, so did Sam and Dean.

"What, no drinks?" Crowley said to them. "Where's the hospitality?"

"Just get to it, already," Sam said through gritted teeth.

Crowley shrugged. He'd just been having a little fun at their expense. "All right, Moose, relax. I'm willing to facilitate a meeting with Metatron. Which of you is willing to go?"

That was a no-brainer, as far as Gail was concerned. "It'll be me, of course," she said.

"You're an Angel, Gail," Sam pointed out. "How could you go?"

"And you guys are humans," she retorted. "Besides, have you forgotten? I'm not 100% Angel any more. I've got some of Cas's blood in me. That should enable me to pass, right?"

Now it was Dean who felt like he was going to vomit. He still didn't believe that Cas had done that to her. Dean was shoving his feelings aside for the moment in favour of taking action, but he and Cas were going to have to sit down and have a good long talk after all this was over. He still hadn't ruled out giving Cas a Dean Winchester ass-kicking, and he still hadn't ruled out kidnapping Gail in order to keep her away from Cas. The only thing Dean had ruled out was the notion that this change in Cas was somehow permanent, and that there may be no cure. Dean couldn't accept that. He was on the same page as Gail when it came to that.

But Crowley was shaking his head. The moment he'd seen Gail try to step out of the circle of holy fire, he'd known. "You can't, Gail. You're not Demon enough."

Great. She wasn't enough Angel to be able to stay away from Cas for good, and now she wasn't Demon enough to be able to get into Hell to investigate a cure for him. "Well, I'm more Demon than these guys," she retorted. Wow. That had come out strange. Like she was proud of it or something. "Then what's the point of you setting up a meeting, if none of us can get in?" she asked Crowley, frustrated.

"I didn't say there wasn't a way," Crowley said evenly. "I only said you weren't going to like it."

Gail sighed. "What is it, then? Just tell me."

Crowley withdrew the syringe and the vial of his blood he'd taken from himself.

Sam leaped to his feet. "No!" he shouted. "I'm not letting you do this, Gail! You can't do this! We'll find another way."

Gail's heart had dropped to her stomach when Crowley had taken out that vial of blood. She should have figured as much. "Yours?" she asked him.

Crowley nodded. "I told you you weren't going to like it," he said sardonically.

Gail looked up at Sam. "Sam, sit down, please."

He sat down slowly, his eyes not leaving her face. "You can't be considering this," he said, shaking his head.

Gail was about to speak again, but Dean beat her to it. "What would that do to her, on top of everything else she's got swimming around inside there?" he asked Crowley suspiciously.

Gail smiled despite herself. The visual image had both disgusted and amused her but, being who she was, amusement had won out. He was making her body sound like a public pool, or something. Well, if she accepted Crowley's blood on top of what she already had in there, the analogy would probably be pretty apt. Would Castiel's blood and Crowley's blood do battle in there? she thought with the blackest of humour.

"None of us can really know," Crowley answered Dean, but he was looking at Gail. She needed to know the risks. "As we don't know what Metatron put in the potion, we don't know what the effects will be."

"Then how can you possibly expect her to agree to it?" Sam asked him.

"Because it's the only way she'll be able to enter," Crowley replied. "It's her choice." He smiled grimly, still looking at Gail. "The disease is painless, sweetheart; it's the cure that hurts."

Gail laughed shortly. She guessed he was right about that. Just how far was she willing to go to save Castiel? But being an Angel was supposed to be about sacrifice, wasn't it? Hadn't Castiel been trying to teach her that from the beginning? She hadn't been willing to do it in Vancouver, when he'd wanted them to give themselves up and go back to Heaven. And she'd pretty much been right about that, hadn't she? But Castiel had been willing to give up his life to save hers at the tribunal. Had she ever been that selfless in her whole life? She couldn't remember one time when she had put herself on the line like that for anyone, let alone for him, though he'd been more than willing to do it for her. It was time to put up or shut up. She sighed heavily.

"What the hell?" Gail said. "Let's do it, before I change my mind."

"No, Gail," Sam said.

She turned to him. "It's not your decision, Sam, it's mine." He and Dean had been talking about her like she wasn't even in the room; Crowley was the only one who had been looking at her and addressing her directly. He hadn't lied, and he hadn't minimized the risk. He had treated her like an adult, able to make her own choices.

Crowley rose and moved around the table to where Gail sat. He took the chair beside her, but it wasn't Cas's chair, so she didn't object. Crowley took her hand. He knew how hard this must be for her. He respected her courage. His Brother was an idiot. As badly as he'd treated her, and she was still willing to do this to try to help him. Castiel had better start appreciating her, or Crowley might have to switch to Team Moose, or keep her for himself. She might not need too much convincing, either. No one was treating her properly right now, except for him. Crowley truly understood her; the others only thought they did.

He smiled at Gail. "Look on the bright side. You'll have more taste and refinement now," he said lightly. He tied off her upper arm and she extended her arm to him, trying to smile back. He stuck her with the needle as gently as he could. "Hopefully, you'll have better taste in men, as well," he said, trying to keep the mood light as his blood entered her veins. Then he was done, and he took a piece of cotton from his pocket and placed it on the crook of her arm. Gail put her hand on it and raised her arm, holding it there for a few moments. She knew what to do by now. She'd had all too much experience.

"Unfortunately, this means you'll probably be able to tolerate my Brother more now, so there's a downside to everything," Crowley smirked. Who was he trying to make feel better, her, or himself? He frowned. "He doesn't deserve you, you know."

But she still disagreed; he could see it in her face. Crowley sighed. "You should be able to stand up to him more now, though," he continued gently. "And you won't be as frightened of him."

Gail looked at him sharply, then she smiled. "I already stood up to him," she told Crowley. "I smacked him in the face as hard as I could before I left him this morning."

Crowley grinned. Good girl. He'd have given a great deal to be a fly on the wall for that glorious moment. "Well, there's my Christmas present, then," he said to her, and they both laughed.

Sam and Dean stared at each other open-mouthed. Shades of last year, when they'd brought Crowley here and Cas had enlisted their help in curing Gail of Crowley's influence and his diseased blood. And now they'd stood by and let him put it in her again. And now she and Crowley were looking at each other affectionately and laughing together, and Castiel was in Hell, doing God knows what. Who had taken the hourglass that was their lives and turned it upside down?

Chapter 4 - The Cage And The Consequences

"You're ready now," Crowley said to Gail, after a few more minutes. She was Demon enough; he could see it in her eyes. They were brighter and somehow darker at the same time. He had peeked into her thoughts. He could do that easily now that she had a bit of him inside her. Not that he would necessarily tell her that, of course. She wouldn't like it, and it was not in his nature to give away a secret like that, not when he could possibly use it to his advantage in the future. Who knew when it could come in handy someday?

She was thinking about herself and his Brother in the bedroom tonight, and what she'd like to do with him. Crowley was both amused and disgusted. She really would owe him a present after this, and Castiel should definitely chip in on it. He was going to be the happy beneficiary of the extra dose of Demon in Gail. But at least she also wouldn't stand for any brutality, or anything she wasn't willing to do there.

Crowley and Gail rose from their chairs, but Dean said, "Not so fast." He didn't like the way they were behaving with each other, and he didn't trust Crowley. What would the King of Hell do with her if the two of them just disappeared from here? They only had Crowley's word that he was taking her to see Metatron. The last time he and Sam had taken Crowley's word for anything, Bobby had been held prisoner in Lucifer's cage. And while Dean didn't think that was what Crowley had in mind for Gail, he was not willing to lose both of his Angel friends to Hell in one day. Especially not today, of all days. It was getting late now, but it was still Christmas.

He stepped in front of Crowley. "One of us is going with you."

Crowley smiled. He could always count on Dean for a laugh. "Good one," he nodded appreciatively.

"He's not joking," Sam said, picking up the thread. "One of us IS going with you. And it's gonna be me."

Crowley looked up at Sam, studying his face. He didn't need a special connection to know what Sam was thinking. Perception and intuition were the keys to negotiation, and Crowley was the master.

"There are no white horses in Hell, Sam," Crowley said evenly.

But Sam was perceptive too, and he stared back at Crowley. "There aren't any fairy tales, either. Especially not for someone like you," Sam retorted.

Gail's Demon blood began to heat up. If these men would just quit talking about her like she wasn't here, like she was some chew toy to fight over, she'd be the happiest hybrid on this or any other world.

"You're being ridiculous," she snapped. The men all looked at her. Good. She finally had their attention. "You're humans, and you're alive," she said to the brothers. "Look, I appreciate the chivalry and all that crap, but you can't come where I need to go."

"There is a way," Sam said, and Crowley looked up at him sharply. If he had to transfuse enough of his blood into a body that size, he'd never recover, Crowley thought with wry amusement.

Dean nodded. He'd been thinking the same thing. "You kill one of us," he said to Crowley. "Then you revive whoever it is afterwards. We know you can do it. You've done it before."

"Just leave the Demon breath out," Sam said, his mouth twitching against his will. Hey, funny was funny.

But Gail was not smiling. She didn't find that too amusing, on a couple of different levels. "No," she protested. "Now you're just being stupid."

Crowley tilted his head to the side, considering. It could work. There was only one problem. "I know you've both been my guests before," he said smoothly. "You were even both alive when Metatron and I brought you that one time. But you were in my office then, and you had been escorted by two Originals. The wing containing Lucifer's cage has special entrance requirements. You have to be dead, you have to have been a Demon once even if you aren't now, and you have to be assigned to Hell."

"Okay, so, assign me," Sam said. "You can kill me, and I've drunk plenty of Demon blood in the past."

Crowley looked at him. "True, and true, but you were never a full-fledged Demon. However..." he turned his head to look at Dean.

Dean nodded. He'd been about to volunteer anyway. There was no way he could let Sam go back to Lucifer's cage; it had nearly destroyed him the last time. And Dean was a little worried about Sam's feelings towards Gail. His brother had played it pretty close to the vest, but Dean was aware that Sammy had had a bit of a crush on Gail when she'd first come to the bunker. She'd gravitated to Cas right away, though, and when she chose to become an Angel when they'd all died, and she'd moved in with Cas, it had seemed like a done deal. But now Cas had changed, and Gail seemed to need rescuing from him. Girls who needed him to save them had always been Sam's weakness.

"Then it's gotta be me," Dean said matter-of-factly.

"You didn't hear me," Crowley said as patiently as he could. "Even though you fit all the other criteriae, you have to be assigned there. Only God can do that. Or, in the current case, Bobby."

Dean rolled his eyes. Great. Like Bobby wasn't pissed enough at him and Sam right now. This was going to go over really big. Cas was gonna have to spend the rest of his Angelic existence making things up to all of them for the things they were willing to do for him now.

He stalked over to the table and grabbed his cell phone, sighing heavily. Bobby was going to give him an earful.

Dean told Bobby what was going on, then took the phone away from his ear for a moment.

"I take it he's not thrilled," Sam quipped. He'd been disappointed that he couldn't be the one to do it, but he'd have to get over it. Even in their weird world, rules were rules. He'd be here when they got back.

Bobby appeared before them, scowling. "So I guess we'll see you in a minute, then?" Dean cracked, still holding the phone.

"Put that down," Bobby said to him, but his beard twitched. He looked at the brothers, including Gail in his sweep of the room. "What are you idjits trying to pull now?"

"My first 'idjit'," Gail quipped. "I feel so privileged."

Bobby walked over to her. "How are you, dear?" he said. "I'm sorry these fools left you there. I would have come and gotten you myself, but somehow Dean persuaded me that you had a plan."

"I do, and you're looking at it," Gail told him.

Bobby was scrutinizing her face, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable now. "There's something different about you," he said quietly. "I know you felt like you have to go back to help Sam and Dean, but why did you stay?" Bobby had always wanted to ask his mother that question, and he really wanted an answer.

She held his gaze. "I stayed because I wanted to stay," she told him. "I know that's not the answer you wanted, but it's the true answer." Bobby's expression turned dark, so she put her hand on his arm. "But don't worry, he'll never hurt me again. I promise you that. I'll kill him if I have to. But I'd rather cure him. That's why we're all here." She gestured to the other men.

Bobby looked at Crowley. "What's your stake in this?"

"Castiel has become a problem for all of us," Crowley said calmly. "It's as much in my best interests as it is in yours to see him cured." He smiled grimly, looking at Gail. "Or, the other thing."

"Where is he now?" Bobby asked. "What's he doing?" He had looked, but he had not been able to see Castiel anywhere.

"In Hell," Crowley replied. "And, you don't want to know."

Bobby felt sick. So it was that bad, was it? Well, he guessed that explained why they were all here together now, and why the boys had invited Crowley in. But this was the stupidest, most cockamamie thing he had ever heard of.

"So I'm just supposed to sit by and watch you kill Dean?" Bobby said, still speaking to Crowley. "Why the hell would we ever trust you to bring him back?"

A reasonable enough question, Crowley thought. "Well, if I don't do it, you can just do it yourself, can't you? You're God, are you not?" He was studying Bobby's face. Crowley had been wondering whether his Father had vested Bobby with the power of revival, and he still wasn't sure. He thought back. Bobby hadn't needed to revive Gail in Las Vegas, as she'd been a human at the time and had just reverted back to being an Angel. And when Castiel had been executed, Bobby had been in the mental institution. Did Bobby have the ultimate power, or didn't he?

Bobby had played poker before, and he recognized the look Crowley was giving him now. Did he have a good hand, or was he bluffing? "Of course I am, and of course I can," he said brusquely. But Bobby was bluffing his ass off. God had never conferred that power on him. But there was no way he could let Crowley know that.

"Well then, you have nothing to worry about, do you?" Crowley said calmly.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them sure what the other held. Then Crowley broke eye contact first, and Bobby felt sure he had won that round.

"Besides, I'm not above giving you the smiting of your life if you don't," Bobby said coolly. He frowned. "But I still don't like it."

"None of us does," Dean growled. Hey, Bobby wasn't the moron who was going to stand here and volunteer to be murdered, was he?

"If it's gotta be done, can't you just kill Dean, Bobby?" Sam asked their friend. He'd much prefer Bobby to do it, for some weird reason.

"It has to be at a Demon's hand," Crowley told them, but Sam was angry at that. "You didn't mention that before! How do we know you're not just making this up as you go along?"

Crowley was losing his patience. "You don't," he said shortly. "But we're running out of time. I don't have to do this, you know. Yes, it benefits me too, but it benefits all of you more, if you want your Angel back. I'd just as soon go with Plan B."

"Then why help us at all?" Bobby asked him warily.

Crowley nodded at Gail. "Let's just say I honour my debts."

Gail gave him a small smile. Then she looked at Bobby, appealing to him with her eyes. Now that God was involved, she supposed she had to defer to him in front of the Winchesters. But if Bobby said no, she would go with Crowley anyway. Dean was being very kind and very brave, but quite honestly, she didn't need him to go with her.

"It's your call, you guys," Gail said to them. "But you don't have to do this, Dean. I can do it by myself."

Bobby's brow furrowed. "How are you able to do it, Gail?"

"She let him dose her with his blood," Sam said bitterly. He should have just grabbed her and pulled her away. Pity he wasn't more forceful, like his not-so-good friend Cas was now.

"I know that, Sam," Bobby said, trying to stay patient. "But Cas only gave her two doses. That hardly seems enough." He was trying to keep his voice gentle. The last thing he needed was to upset Gail further after everything she'd been through. Bobby's mother used to get hysterical sometimes when Bobby would be the slightest bit critical of his dad. And while Bobby knew that Gail wasn't his mother, he was trying to be compassionate.

But Dean nudged Bobby. "Not Cas," he said, jerking his head at Crowley.

What the ever-loving..."YOU dosed her, Crowley?" Bobby shouted. He wheeled on Gail, but lowered his voice so he wasn't yelling in her face. "And you let him?"

"Yes, Bobby, I did," Gail answered. She'd known he wasn't going to be happy about it; nor was she, really, but what choice had she had? "Don't blame those guys, it was my choice." She looked sideways at Dean. This was his fault, in a way. If he hadn't been so insistent on one of them accompanying her, Bobby never would have had to know. "But Crowley's right, we're wasting time," she added. She was starting to feel a sense of urgency now. Cas couldn't be held off indefinitely.

Bobby sighed heavily. "You're going to do this regardless, aren't you?" he asked Gail.

"I have to, Bobby," she told him.

"Then if Dean's willing, you guys go ahead," Bobby said, frowning. He looked at Crowley. "But if you screw us in any way, there'll be hell to pay. Pun definitely intended."

"Understood," Crowley said shortly. He just wanted to get this done now. He withdrew a blade from his suit jacket and approached Dean. "You may want to turn around for this, Moose. You too, Gail."

Gail felt a chill. My God, this was really going to happen. Crowley was going to stab Dean to death, and they were going to let him. Why on earth had Dean opened up his big mouth?

So the deed was done, and Bobby had sent Dean's soul down to Hell. Crowley and Gail met him in the corridor just outside the wing where Lucifer's cage was located.

Gail threw her arms around him. "Dean, you're such an idiot," she told him, kissing him on the cheek. She smiled. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, but he was smiling too. "Let's just get this over with." His smile faded as he looked at Crowley. Dean hated being in Hell again, and he had hated watching Crowley stab him to death in the bunker a few minutes prior. But it had been his own stupid idea to come, hadn't it?

Crowley put his hand on the panel next to the armoured door that led to the wing where Lucifer and Metatron were being held. Once his identity was verified, the door swung open and he walked through, followed by Dean and Gail. The door swung shut with a loud clanking sound, and Gail jumped and grabbed Dean's hand. She'd been so brave and sure of herself before she'd gotten here, but now her stomach was fluttering and she was scared. She was the only one of their little group who had never actually been to Hell before, and she was intimidated. Was this where she and Cas were going to wind up if they couldn't find a cure? She'd had some problems with Heaven, but this was much, much worse. She could only imagine what went on behind closed doors here. And now they were going to visit the worst of the worst of its denizens, even worse than Crowley himself. Damn Metatron and his screwing around. She'd better calm down, or he and Lucifer were going to eat her for breakfast.

Sam and Bobby were sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for Dean and Gail to return from their unholy errand. They hadn't wanted to wait in the library area. That was where Dean's crumpled body lay. Crowley had killed him as swiftly and efficiently as he could, but the sight had been really hard for Bobby to watch. Gail had grabbed Sam's hand and turned his back to the scene, burying her face in his chest so she wouldn't have to look, either. But Bobby was God, and he was like a father to Dean, so he made himself watch. He bore the responsibility if anything went wrong, after all, even though Dean had volunteered himself for the stupid stunt in the first place.

He and Sam had headed to the kitchen after Crowley had snapped himself and Gail out of the bunker. Crowley had backed away from Dean's dead body, feeling surreal over what he had just done in full view of God, and said, "Send him to my office. I'll have him escorted from there." Bobby had nodded curtly, but his hands were curled into fists, and it had taken everything he had not to call the whole thing off right then and there. Seeing the expression on Bobby's face, Crowley had said quietly, "Come here, Gail." She had gone to him and taken his hand, averting her eyes from the spot where Dean'd dead body lay, and Crowley had snapped them out. Then Bobby had sent Dean's soul to Hell to meet up with them there.

Bobby turned to look at Sam, who was staring off into space, brooding. "Better make some coffee," he said to the younger Winchester.

Sam looked at him, surprised.

"I need something to do with my hands," Bobby told him. This was the most nervous Bobby had ever been, and the most helpless he had ever felt. Why the hell had he ever allowed them to talk him into letting this crazy thing happen?

Sam shrugged. He needed something to do, too, or the waiting was going to drive him nuts. He turned to the coffeemaker.

"I don't suppose you've got any bourbon?" Bobby asked half-jokingly.

Sam paused. "I can check. Cas gave us..." He faltered, clearing his throat. "We have a fully stocked bar now, remember?"

Bobby remembered. The day that Cas had had his job, he had provided the Winchesters with every conceivable form of liquor in one of the bunker's spare rooms, and Dean had reported that no matter how much they'd poured, the bottles never seemed to empty. Bobby had laughed at that. They had all been happy then, but it hadn't lasted long. It never did for their little family.

"Yeah, Sam, I remember," Bobby sighed. "You might want to pour a generous shot in your cup when you're done." He paused, then said, "Maybe mine, too."

They moved down the corridor until they got to the cage. Gail saw Metatron sitting cross-legged on one end of the cage and he was staring at a man who was sitting likewise at the opposite end of the cage. That could only be Lucifer, Gail thought. He looked like an ordinary enough man, no horns or pitchfork, but she'd better not forget who he was and what he represented. He was the one who had driven both Sam and Bobby insane. He obviously had tremendous powers, and an unlimited capacity for evil. She wished they could just speak to Metatron alone.

"You have visitors, Metatron," Crowley said.

Metatron stood slowly, stretching. Visitors? Yeah, right. Crowley had to be screwing with him.

But Lucifer perked up. Seeing Crowley was rare enough, but he could just make out the shapes of two individuals standing behind Crowley.

"Well, well," Lucifer murmured, standing slowly as Metatron had done. "Who do we have here?"

"They're here to talk to Metatron, not you," Crowley said sharply. But he knew it would do no good. Once Lucifer got the scent, that was it. He had spent most of his existence here in this cage alone, and Lucifer only came alive when he had toys to play with. Gail and Dean had no idea what they were in for.

Metatron saw the eager look on Lucifer's face, and he turned around to face Crowley, who motioned for Gail and Dean to step forward. Metatron's face broke into a wide smile. "Dean Winchester, as I die and don't breathe!" he exclaimed. "And hand in hand with the Angel Gail? Does Castiel know about this, or have you traded up?"

Lucifer was excited now. His old roommate Sam Winchester's brother Dean? With a female Angel? And what was this about Castiel? He rushed to the front of the cage, standing beside Metatron.

"How is my dear old friend Sam?" Lucifer asked Dean. "You must give him my regards. He and I had a lot of fun together."

Dean glared at Lucifer but wisely said nothing. Then Lucifer turned his gaze on Gail, smiling. "And you're here with a lovely Angel. Gail, is it?" He affected a puzzled look. "But how is an Angel able to be here? Perhaps you're not so Angelic after all? And what's this about Castiel?"

"Gail is Castiel's little Angel girlfriend," Metatron told him. "Or at least, she was. I have the feeling she might not be so into what he is these days."

He was smirking, and Gail's hand itched to smack the smile right off his face. So it was true. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Lucifer issued a booming laugh. "So, after untold centuries, Castiel finally got a girlfriend!" he said delightedly. "Well, isn't that fantastic. So you don't mind all his baggage?" he asked Gail. "Or do you have some of your own?" he asked slyly. "I'll bet you do. Daddy issues? Brother issues, maybe?" Gail looked at him sharply. Lucifer nodded. "Brother, then," he said. "Well, that explains two Angels together, anyway. Although, if you can't partake of certain pleasures, I don't really see the point."

"Oh, but they have," Metatron said gleefully. "They were humans briefly in Las Vegas, and based on what Castiel must be by now, I'll bet she's experienced a lot of carnal activity. Whether willingly, or otherwise."

"Shut up," Dean said. He was already sick of these grinning asshats.

But they'd come here to talk to Metatron, and Gail was determined to get some answers. She moved over to stand in front of Metatron. "I need you to tell me what you put in that potion," she said to Metatron. "Please," she added, gritting her teeth.

Metatron laughed. "And why on earth would I want to do that? Aren't you enjoying what he's doing to you now? Or does the fact that you're here with Dean speak volumes?" His eyes narrowed. "And how are the two of you even here, anyway?" Then he brightened. "No, don't tell me. This is too good."

"What?" Lucifer asked Metatron. This was the most fun he'd had ever since Bobby had been here, and he was just getting started. "What do you know?"

"I know about the protections around our little home here," Metatron told him. "I transcribed everything for our Father after you were gone, remember? Living people can't enter. That means that someone has finally killed the great Dean Winchester."

Lucifer looked at Dean. "Awww. Sam and Bobby must be heartbroken. Can he room with us?" he asked Crowley, smiling slyly. "It's been so long since I've been roomies with a hot guy. No offense," he said to Metatron, smirking. Then his eyes shifted to Gail. "Unless...a female companion would be heavenly. Pun most definitely not intended. If you enjoy what Castiel does to you, you'd be welcome in here. It's been way too long for me. I could give you all the attention you need. And from what Metatron has told me Castiel is now, you must like it a little rough." He grinned. "That could be arranged."

Dean's hands curled into fists. He didn't care if this guy was the Devil, he was lucky he was in that cage.

Gail was sickened. She could see how a constant barrage of this stuff would drive someone crazy. Lucifer obviously knew far more than he should about people, and he obviously took great pleasure in pushing their buttons. She'd better hurry it up, if she could. She could see that Lucifer was already getting to Dean, and he was making her skin crawl.

She turned back to Metatron, determined to get the information however she could. "Please," she said to him. "Please. I'm begging you."

Crowley felt for her, but he rolled his eyes. That might work on someone with a conscience, but he knew that Metatron had none. And Lucifer was staring at her and her doe eyes like he was a lion and she was the antelope.

Sure enough, Lucifer moved closer to where Gail stood. "I love it when you beg." His voice had changed, and when she looked his way, he had become Cas. "I love it when you say my name, over and over again. You liked it when I cut you with my blade, and you moaned when I licked your blood. Just like you moan when I lick your-"

"Stop it!" she shouted. She knew he wasn't Cas, but she couldn't take it any more. Gail couldn't believe that Sam and Bobby had been able to endure being here with Lucifer for so long. But they hadn't, had they? They had lost their minds. Now she truly understood. So would she, if she stayed here much longer.

Cas/Lucifer smiled. "That's not what you said this morning," he said seductively. "Sam could never give you what you need. He's far too gentle, and you're no Angel, are you? You like it rough, I know you do. Well, those are my marks all over your body, not his, and you can look forward to getting some more tonight."

Gail was speechless. Lucifer had her trapped in his headlights now, and she was slowly shaking her head. She knew this wasn't Cas, not really, but he looked just like him, and he was preying on her worst fear. He was going to come home bloody and wild again, and she was going to pay the price. What the hell had she been thinking? There was no cure for this kind of evil.

Dean looked at Crowley. "Do something!" he barked.

"And just what do you suggest?" Crowley snapped back. "It was your idea to come here and confront the Devil. What did you expect?"

Dean was enraged. He didn't know how much of what Lucifer was saying was true, but Gail was staring at him, looking anguished. Demons were liars, everyone knew that, and the Devil must be the smoothest liar of them all. But they had all seen the marks on Gail, hadn't they? What the hell had been going on in that house? And he had sat by and done nothing. Well, that was going to end, right here and now.

"Shut the hell up," he growled at Lucifer. Then he moved forward and grabbed Gail, spinning her around to look at him. "That's not Cas," Dean said to her.

"It is, Dean," Gail replied. Tears filled her eyes. "God help me, it is. That's who he is now. That's WHAT he is now," she amended.

"The Devil is a liar," Dean insisted.

"But he's not lying, that's just it," Gail said. The tears were spilling down her cheeks now. "I let him do all those things to me, and a part of me liked it. I loved Cas so much I let him hurt me." She was ashamed. Demon blood or no Demon blood, Gail was looking inside herself and she didn't like what she saw. If Cas ever hurt her again, she was going to ram that blade right into his chest and ask him if he liked that.

"I'm sorry, Dean," she said shakily, trying to compose herself. "This was a bad idea."

Crowley stepped forward. He had had enough. "No, it wasn't," he said to Gail. "You're just going about it the wrong way. I should have given you more of the good stuff." He looked at Metatron and smiled. "Never send an Angel in to do a Demon's job. You're going to give me the information we've come here for, and you're going to do it now."

Cas/Lucifer laughed. "My Brother, to the rescue. You think you can take her from me? You may be the King of Hell, but you don't measure up. By any standards."

Crowley waved his hand and Cas/Lucifer was sent flying to the other end of the cage. "You're beginning to annoy me," Crowley said to him. Cas/Lucifer got up and came back to the front of the cage. "You don't scare me," he told Crowley. "What the hell can you do to me that others haven't already? That I'm doing to myself right now, by doing it to her?"

Another wave of Crowley's hand, and Cas/Lucifer hit the opposite bars of the cage, harder this time. Crowley smiled thinly. "Keep on coming, and keep that mask on, while you're at it. I could do this all day, and the fact that you look like my Brother only makes it sweeter."

Lucifer changed back into his original form, and he picked himself up off the floor of the cage but stayed put. He glared at Crowley. He'd only been having a little fun. When Metatron had first gotten here, he had been so happy to have another roommate. But Metatron was proving impossible to crack. He was crazy already, and he gave as good as he got. They had settled into a curious sort of detente after each had tried to break the other and found that he could not do it. And Metatron's smug satisfaction with who and what he was annoyed Lucifer. There was no gold in the form of guilt and shame to be mined from Metatron. And the guy was irritating as hell, to boot. Ironic. Metatron thought he was the smartest being since Creation, and Lucifer was used to being the Alpha male around here, but Metatron didn't seem intimidated by him at all. Lucifer was sure that Crowley had had Bobby stick Metatron in here just to stick it to Lucifer. Only the original God could open the cage, but whoever was the reigning God could place anyone in the cage if he so chose. Or she; Lucifer didn't believe in discrimination. He had been so hoping that Crowley had brought hot Dean or luscious Gail here to be incarcerated. He'd have loved both, but he would have taken either one. Lucifer didn't discriminate in that area, either.

But Crowley was putting Lucifer in a time-out, and Crowley was staring at Metatron now.

Metatron was grinning. He knew that Crowley could do nothing to him, either. Throw him around the cage a little? So what? Metatron had received far worse treatment here in Hell, and he had withstood it.

"Why on earth would I do that?" Metatron said to Crowley. "The only thing I regret is that we can't get good reception here. I'd love to have a closed-circuit TV in that bedroom of theirs. See how dark Castiel has truly become. But it serves him right. So sanctimonious, all those centuries. And just look at him now. But what's it to you, Crowley? He's on your side now, and Gail's well on her way. Even one more dose might do it. And with the two of them by your side, you could do fantastic things. So why are you trying to find out what I did to him? Are you hoping for a cure? Because that's not gonna happen."

Crowley stared at him calmly. He'd spent a lot of time with Metatron here in Hell, and he knew that even when Metatron was lying, he'd sprinkle in a bit of truth to make the lies palatable. Or was it the other way around? "The way I run my Kingdom is my business," he told Metatron. He'd noticed that Metatron had not said there wasn't a cure, only that it was "not going to happen". Metatron was a wordsmith, and Crowley doubted that he had chosen his words carelessly. There WAS a cure; Metatron just didn't think they'd be capable of effecting it, for whatever reason. But this was the first step in obtaining it, and Crowley was damn well not going to leave here without the information. What could he threaten Metatron with, though? He was residing in the worst place Hell had to offer, with its worst citizen, and not only did Metatron not look the least bit perturbed, he seemed to be thriving. What did they say about cockroaches and nuclear blasts?

Then Crowley had an idea. It was worth a shot, anyway. "Well, your little plan is going to come back and bite you in the arse," Crowley told Metatron. "Once Castiel has sunk all the way, I'll have Bobby put him in here with you."

Metatron was silent, but Lucifer perked up at what Crowley was saying. Did Crowley mean it? He couldn't mean it. Why would he want to give Lucifer a gift like that? How wonderful that would be. Castiel would be a veritable smorgasbord for someone like Lucifer. Where to begin? In existence since Creation. Creation's first homicide victim, murdered by his own brother. A pathetic, ineffectual human. Warrior Angel, blindly following orders and leaving thousands dead in his wake. Conspiring with Jason, resulting in the torture of countless others. Taking up with humans and adopting their ways. Busted down in rank by their Father to human status, scrabbling just to survive and stay one step ahead of the multitude of Angels who were thirsting for his blood after The Fall. Duped by Metatron. Not to mention ingesting all of those corrupted souls, declaring himself to be God, killing Raphael, going to Purgaatory, allowing the insanity to flood back into Sam, trying to kill Dean. Then Castiel had finally cleaned up his act, or had been trying to, when he'd met Gail. His intentions had been honourable, or so he had told himself, but Castiel had fallen for her, and then he had fallen into bed with her in Las Vegas and he had never come out. Even when they had been Angels after that, once Cas had gotten the taste, he had spent a lot of time and effort trying to figure out a way to have his cake and eat it, too. He wanted to be a good Angel, a hero who everyone looked up to, but his urges had kept getting in the way. When they'd gotten back from Las Vegas, he'd begun using violence as a substitute for sex, pulling his blade out at any real or perceived provocation. What Freud would do with that, Lucifer mused cheerfully. Then Heaven had finally executed him for his sins, giving Castiel an excellent reason for turning against the place. The King of Hell had brought Castiel back into play then, infusing his Brother with his Demon essence in the process. Castiel's downward spiral had begun at that moment, and Metatron's magic ingredients had spiked the punch. And now they were looking to cure him? Sure, they could try, but to paraphrase an old saying, the doctor shouldn't treat the disease, but the patient who was suffering from it. Castiel was a perennial screw-up with no confidence and no self-esteem, and the manufactured cocktail that was roaming through his veins was attempting to make him feel otherwise. But Lucifer knew the truth. How could you value others when you had always thought that you yourself were worthless? How could you truly love others when you loathed yourself? Lucifer needed Castiel in this cage. He could feed off his Brother for eternity.

But Metatron did not want to spend eternity with Castiel. Lucifer, he could handle; but Castiel had always made Metatron extremely uncomfortable. Metatron would never admit it, but he had always been jealous of his Brother. He was Heaven's Golden Boy, God's favourite. While Metatron had had to sit at God's feet, their Father had welcomed Castiel into His office and sat down with him to converse, like an equal. Maybe that was why Castiel walked around Heaven with an air of superiority, as if he were above everything and everyone there. He'd looked down his nose at Metatron, deigning only to speak with his Brother when the Scribe had convinced him that he would be Heaven's big hero if he completed the tasks that were required to save Heaven. It was always about him. The Fall and his subsequent demotion had served Castiel right, in Metatron's opinion. But Castiel had come out of that and out of his own tribunal smelling like a rose, and he'd ended up with a club of Angel devotees afterwards. He had friends who were willing to lay down their lives for him, and a female who loved him so much she was willing to take his abuse and go toe-to-toe with Lucifer on his behalf. Had Metatron ever had anything like that? No, of course not, even though he had loved and served their Father for centuries too, and without Castiel's rebellious attitude.

Crowley mistook Metatron's silence for defiance, so he upped the ante. "And, I believe you may be familiar with some of our implements of torture here. Well, there are others that are even more excruciating, and I can promise you I will give him his pick. Think about it, Metatron. He's a bloodthirsty beast right now, thanks to you, and he'd be your roommate for all eternity."

Now Metatron felt fear. He'd only been showing false bravado when he'd told Crowley the rack didn't bother him. It had bothered him plenty, and half of the instruments he had seen on the walls of the room hadn't even been used on him. And now Crowley was telling him there were worse ones yet, and that Castiel would have dealer's choice?

Lucifer was seriously considering doing some begging of his own at this point. He would have Castiel's scrambled psyche to feed his need for absorbing emotional pain, Metatron's constant torture to fill his need for bloodthirsty violence, and for a few of his other needs? Well, Castiel's vessel was very appealing, aesthetically speaking, and any port in a storm. If Castiel liked to deal it rough, perhaps he liked to receive it that way, as well.

But Metatron was about to spoil Lucifer's fantasies. "All right," he muttered to Crowley. "I'll tell you."

Crowley snapped his fingers, and a pen and notebook appeared in his hands. "Go," he said to Metatron.

After Crowley had written down the ingredients as Metatron listed them, he snapped the notebook shut. "A pleasure, as always," he said sarcastically, turning to Dean and Gail, who had retreated quietly during the negotiation. "Let's go," he said to them. "Tempis fugit."

"Wait," Metatron said. They turned back to look at him. What now?

"I've told you what I added to the potion, but you still don't know how to reverse the spell," Metatron said.

Crap, Gail thought. All they had now was the list of stuff Metatron had added. Even if they were to get the ingredients, what the hell were they supposed to do with them?

Crowley cursed himself. Metatron was quite right. To think, he had almost left without getting the most important piece of information.

"Well? How do you reverse the spell?" Crowley snapped.

"I have no idea," Metatron said, smiling widely. He'd been looking forward to seeing the expressions on their faces. He'd tried to tell them there was no way it was going to happen.

"What do you mean, you have no idea?" Dean barked at him.

"Just what I said," Metatron said happily. He looked at Gail and Crowley. "Potterheads such as yourselves should have figured it out by now. Only the person who created the original spell would know how to reverse it."

Crowley looked at him sharply. How would Metatron know that he and Gail had joked about being fans of the book series?

"You're not the only Originals here, or have you forgotten?" Metatron said slyly. "My roomie and I happen to belong to that exclusive little club, too."

But Gail was focusing on what Metatron had said regarding the spell. "Are you talking about Aurielle?" she asked him. Aurielle had been the one who had created the love potion that Metatron had added the extra ingredients to.

"You weren't listening," Metatron said to her. "I said, the person who CREATED the original spell. That would be your loving mother, wouldn't it?" Metatron looked at Crowley. "The spell came from her book." He looked back at Gail. "Too bad you killed her and cut off her head. It's going to be hard to talk to her now, isn't it?"

They started to walk away from the cage, stunned, as Metatron and Lucifer's laughter reverberated throughout the corridor.

END OF BOOK 7


End file.
